Jolly Roger Party - Pirate History Story

Ahoy, Mateys! ARRRGGGHHH!   

INVITATIONS: Follow the Jolly Roger to Andrew's 7th Birthday Bash!  We created invitations on paper that was stained with tea and/or coffee to give it a realistic look.  We drew a treasure map (directions to our house) and invited all the kids to dress up as Buccaneers. 

COSTUMES: Red or black bandana tied on head, lots of gold earrings, necklaces, bangles and bracelets.  Black and white stripped vest, with rolled up black pants, white "poets" shirt, with a red sash.  OR, White shirt with red and white stripped leggings or socks.  Face painted black mustash.  Felt pirate hat, Black eye patch made of felt, tied with yarn. 

DECORATIONS: Treasure chest (cardboard box painted gold), with lots of fake gold coins, Mardi Gras beads and plastic silver and jeweled rings.  We hung black strips of crepe paper over each doorway and raised the Jolly Roger (Pirate Flag) over the Garage. Black plates and cups, white plastic table cloth, or you can find pirate-themed partyware on lots of Internet sites.  

CAKE: 9 X 13 rectangle cake, decorated to look like an ocean and island. Ocean was 3 drops of blue food coloring and 1 drop of green.  Finely crush graham crackers for the beach "sand", and we used Playmobil pirate people for decorations.  

FOOD:  Goldfish crackers, fish 'n chips, and ale(Fish sticks and french fries and apple juice) and I convinced them to eat their veggies (carrots, celery, cauliflower, etc) so they wouldn't get scurvy!! 

GAMES: I first read a story about the history of pirates.  Everyone received a felt pirate hat and face paint.  Walk the Plank:  draw a 8 - 10 foot "plank" on the sidewalk with chalk and have blindfolded kids walk across.  OR, use an old ironing board across a kiddie pool, filled with water (1 inch) and plastic alligators swimming around inside! BE SURE TO SUPERVISE THIS ACTIVITY AT ALL TIMES! 

Find the Booty:  fill a shallow plastic storage bin, or even a sandbox with lots of pennies and fake gold pieces.  Kids get 30 seconds to scoop up the "booty" and they keep what they find. 

Musical Islands:  play "island" or Caribbean music while children hop/walk around 5 - 6 hula hoops on the grass.  When the music stop, everyone needs to be on an "island" (inside a hula hoop) the person left out stands in the middle or gets marooned. 

Treasure Hunt:  before hand, plan and hide clues all over the house and yard.  The first clue can be something like, "Don't walk the plank to meet your doom, the next clue is in the living room." OR, "Shiver me timbers, rub-a-dub-dub!  The next clue is in the bathtub."   The last clue will lead them to the "Loot Bags" or Treasure Chest.  Each child takes home a "Loot Bag" filled with beads, fake jewelry, a felt pirate had or bandana, and gold chocolate coins.  Also, the kids received a plastic sword and black eye patch. 

We had a blast and the parents even came dressed up!  It rained and rained on the day of our "outdoor" party, but that just added atmosphere. Everyone had a terrific time!