DIY Nutty Boats from Walnuts

These boats are so easy to make, kids love them, and you need items that you probably already have on hand. I have used these for several different occasions: Birthday parties, Pirate themed parties, just for fun on a rainy day, I'm church to talk about Noah and the Ark, and around Thanksgiving for the ships that the pilgrims were in. You chose what you want to use it for and I'll show you how to make it. 

This is the way that has worked for me, change it if you have different supplies or different needs. If you are doing it for a larger group I highly suggest doing some of the prep work beforehand so all you have to do is assemble.

Supplies:

Walnuts-one half for each boat

Nut cracker

Scrap paper

Hot glue gun and glue

Markers or crayons

Scissors

Water in a tub, bin, sink, sandbox, etc.

How To:

Crack the walnut and scrape out the nut inside.

Glue the toothpick to the bottom of half of the walnut shell.

Cut small squares from the paper to create sails.

Have children decorate their sail.

Slightly bend the paper and run the toothpick up the middle so it forms a sail. (I like to have extra sails for each child because if their boat happens to tip in the water and get wet they will want another one.)

Take your boats to water and have fun! 

Make sure children are always supervised around water!

DIY Modge Podge Pirate Dresser Update

I have tried to use Modge Podge in the past and failed terribly so when I was given a dresser and saw some creative things online I thought I would give it a try one more time. After several attempts at finding the right paper to cover the dresser I was able to find some pirate drawings. I measured and cut and Modge Podged my little heart out. As I'm still learning there are some places where the paper is not as smooth as I would like it but overall it turned out ok. 

If you are brave enough to try something similar I just recommend using a heavy enough paper. Otherwise it is more difficult. Take a look at the pics and let me know what you think. My next undertaking is a somewhat matching side table. We'll see how that goes.

• Find your paper

• Clean your surface

• Take off knobs if applicable

• Put down a layer of Modge Podge

• Carefully place paper and smooth with hands to get bumps out

• Add another layer of Modge Podge

• Let dry

• Add as many layers of Modge Podge as you would like for the look you are going for

• Finished.

• I spray painted the same knobs black and put them back on so it looked more "Pirate-ish"

Before

After

Middle Drawers-I got the horizon line a little off.  Oops lesson learned for next time.

One of the sides of the dresser- close up

Top of the dresser-Pirate ship

Finished Product

Pirate Sea Monster Mural

As I'm sure you can tell by know I love pirate activities. This can be done as part of a pirate activity or at the beginning or end of a pirate party as you are waiting for guests to arrive or for them to leave. Find a large roll of butcher paper and create a simple mural. If you are not artistic you can most likely find things to trace. Draw out a mural that is large enough to take up a full length table or be placed on the floor as shown here. Leave markers, crayons, or colored pencils out and let children/adults find a place and begin to color. Once everyone has colored a small piece your artwork is complete. This works as a great ice breaker activity for adults, and a great time filler for kids. Obviously you can do this with any theme you would like. It doesn't have to be strictly for pirates.

Make your own Ocean In A Bottle

Ocean in a Bottle

I have found that most often the most simple of activities and games are what kids love the best. This is one of those cases. Make an ocean in a bottle for a pirate, mermaid, or ocean themed party or to just experiment with how waves work. Kids love to play with this and look at the oil water and how it moves. 

The how to is from TLC family- I've included the link at the bottom. The green pictures are the one I made myself. Have fun!

What You'll Need:

• Clear soda bottle
• Funnel
• Water
• Cooking oil
• Blue food coloring
• Glitter

Step 1: Using a funnel, pour 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of oil into a soda bottle.

Step 2: Put the lid on tightly, and shake the bottle vigorously to mix the substances.

Step 3: After shaking, put the bottle down and let it sit for a few minutes. What happens to the oil and water after you mix them?

Step 4: To turn your experiment into an ocean display, remove the top and add enough water to fill the bottle 2/3 full.

Step 5: Add a few drops of food coloring and some glitter, and shake the bottle gently to mix in the color.

Step 6: Fill the rest of the bottle almost to the top with oil.

Step 7: Put the top back on tightly, and gently tilt the bottle back and forth to create an ocean wave effect.

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/science-experiments-for-kids10.htm

Pirates-Message In A Bottle

Message in a Bottle

Message In A Bottle for a Pirate or Ocean Party

For some reason it seems people of all ages enjoy pirate parties especially when the theme is done right. To use a message in a bottle for your party you can do a few things. 

Party Invitation:
The first is to purchase small plastic bottles and print the invitation on paper that is then rolled up and put in the bottle. Then deliver.

Treasure/Scavenger Hunt:
Place all of your clues in bottles and as the children find them they can take turns opening the bottle to see what the next clue will be.

Activity:
Have the children make their own message in a bottle. You'll need bottles of some kind, tan or brown paper, and sand and shells if you wish. The paper can be crumpled up before or after it has been made this gives it more of an old pirate look to it. If you'd like to add sand and shells it just adds a little extra something. 

You could also have the children make their own treasure map to go inside of the bottle.

Message in a Bottle for Pirate or Ocean Party

I Spy-Ocean in a Bottle

 I Spy also known as EYE Spy

This is so easy to make if you are looking for Pirate, Ocean, or even mermaid party or activity ideas. 
I've seen these in stores but they are filled with plastic beads and then small objects inside you which you are supposed to find by shaking the bottle about.

This is very simple. You can use only small shells if that is all you have. Or you can find mini plastic animals and sea creatures for usually 5, 10 or, at most 25 cents to add to your shells. Make a label that lists all of the items that are in your jar or bottle. Then place the items inside. Fill the remainder of the jar with sand as shown here or rice, small beads, sugar, anything that is small enough for you to see the other objects around it. Use hot glue or super glue to glue the lid on tightly or you may end up with quite the mess on your hands.

To play simply have the children shake the jar around to see if they can spot all of the objects that you have listed. You can be as creative as you want with this. Have fun!

Pirates-Who's Who

Who's Who of Famous Pirates

This game is definitely better for older kids but they seem to really enjoy it for a pirate party. You'll provide a list of famous pirates as well as pieces of their signature on pieces of "parchment paper". The kids must then decide which signature goes with which pirate.

Needed Supplies:

• Brown Craft/Butcher Paper
• Black Paint or Markers
• List of famous pirates-you decide how hard to make them (see below)

Who's Who of Pirates-Can you find the signature that matches the pirate?

Directions:

• Tear pieces of brown paper into squares that are roughly the size of an 81/2 by 11 piece of paper. 
• Crumple up the paper several times so it looks like an old worn piece of pirate paper
• Using your list of pirate names write a PIECE of the name on one of the papers. 
• You want to include enough of the name that the kids can tell which pirate it is but not enough that it is so easy. You'll also want to use different fonts as to have it look like the pirate signatures.
• Make a list of the available pirate names to go with the games so the kids have some helpful hints to use as a match.

Pirate Name Examples:
BlackBeard
Anne Bonney
Mary Read
John Rackham
Sir Henry Morgan
Captain William Kidd
John Bartholomew Roberts

Pirate Party Ideas

Young or old, you can have so much fun planning, hosting, or attending a pirate party. Most of the ideas below were meant for a children's party but you could most likely alter some of them to fit your pirate needs. Hope the ideas help. Excuse the picture quality. My camera was having some issues today so I had to use my phone and it was not working as clear as it normally does. Oh well. 

Costumes for kids are a MUST

For any pirate party costumes are a huge must. Nothing elaborate or expensive. That is the beauty of pirates.... almost anyone can pull together a costume from things already in their wardrobe. Example: Jeans rolled up bit, white shirt, black belt, bandanna of some kind for the head, a vest of some kind if possible. Done. Of course you can add more to it but that is a basic costume.

Make and Takes

Pirate Names

• Fill 2 or 3 Bins with names that you have come up with in advance. You'll need Girl First Name, Boy First Name, Girl Second Name, Boy Second Name and  Both Third Name. Place the names in their separate bins and as children arrive have them draw a name out of each bin to create their unique pirate name.
• Write their name on a name tag badge so they'll have it for the remainder of the party. 
• Below are some suggestions for names.

First Name Boy	Second Name Boy	Third Name Girl/Boy
Sir	Black Beard	Silver, Barbossa, Hook
Gentleman	Long John	Booth, Bowen, Ceasar
Lord	Bartholomew	Davis, Edwards, Morris
Count	Nathaniel	O’Malley, Jones, Smith
Mister	Henry, William, Antonio, Diego, William	Sparrow, Bly, Buckthorn
Captian	Crazy Eye, Canon Ball, Dog, Moody	Parr, Wiggins, Jenkins
Madd	Jonathan, Peter, Jim, Alexander, Jack , Smee	Read, Kidd, Giggs
Commodore		Hawthorne, Blackwater, Morgan
		Higgins
First Name Girl	Second Name Girl
Countess	Red Braid
Lady	Black Braid
Beauty	Esmerelda
Madam	Rose, Rosy,
Lass	Elizabeth, Mary, Grace, Ann, Pearly, Maria

                       

Painted Pirates

• No pirate is complete with out a little bit of ink. This will add to their costumes and will wash off easily when you are done.
• Face Painting! Before you scratch this off your list because you are not artistic read on. The easiest way to do face painting if you are not artistically inclined is to use stencils. Purchase pirate stencils from a local craft store and cut the pieces to sizes that will fit a child's face or hand, or in this case upper arm if you'd like to do pirate tattoos. Simply place the stencil where you would like it and use a brush or sponge to make your stencil. Use acrylic paint from the store and if you happen to mess up wipe it off with a wet rag and start again.
• With mustaches being popular now you could also use black paint and simply paint each child a black handle bar mustache above their upper lip. Kids will love it and it is simple for you!

Pirate Paper Dolls

• Simple paper Dolls were created below. More for younger children. (Artwork by Randall Schutt)

Pirate Medallions

• Purchase or save bottle caps. 
• Trace a quarter on a piece of paper and cut it out so you have enough circles for your medallions.
• Have the children decorate their small circle.
• Place it inside the bottle cap with a small dab of glue or a glue dot.
• Attach the bottle cap to a string. 
• Kids have their own pirate medallion to keep and wear.
• Use Modge Podge over the paper if you'd like to make it a little more sturdy. It can dry while you do the rest of the party games.

Hats off to You-Pirate Hats

• You can make and fold a pirate hat by following the instructions from this link. http://www.heidisongs.com/Free_Downloads/assets/Pirate_Hat_Directions.pdf

OR

• Cut out strips of poster board two inches thick. Then cut out of black paper a simple shape such as that below. Have the kids decorate their black piece of paper. Staple it to the poster board strip and wrap it around the child's head and staple in the back.

Pirate Telescopes

• Collect toilet paper tubes for a few months so you have enough telescopes for your little pirates. Paint them all one color before hand if you prefer. (Black or brown) Then have kids decorate their telescope using markers, paints, stickers. (Use in Crows Nest activity below)

Activities and Games

Crows Nest Eye Spy

• With or without your telescopes from above find a "crows nest" you can use. Could be the top of your stairs, a small hill in your yard that is higher then the rest, your back deck. Anything to put kids up a little higher then the regular ground. 
• Hide objects around that can be seen from above such as shells, plastic sea animals, a parrot, anything pirate like. Have the kids use their telescopes to look out over the "sea" and see if they can spot the items you have carefully hid.

Signs of the Sea/Dangers of the Sea

• Purchase a clear or white shower curtain and using a black permanent marker draw a sea image on the curtain. Draw cliffs, shallow water, a storm, a tidal wave, lightening, winds, coral reefs, sand bars, mermaids, sea monsters, etc.
• Draw regular items in between all of these so it is similar to an Eye Spy. Have a list of the things the children need to find or simply place it out on the floor or a table and see if they can act as a real pirate and spot off the of the Dangers out at Sea.

Puzzling Pirates

• 
  

Mermaid Point

• If you have girls at the party or even if you don't this is fun. Purchase some large seashells and let the kids decorate them with glitter, glue, markers, etc. Use smaller shells and turn it into a pirate necklace if you'd like.

Sunken Ships/Cannon Ball Toss

• The ship below was made out of scrap foam from another project. You could make a simple version of this using poster board or butcher paper. Draw a ship. Put targets on it. (Give the circles point values for older children if you would like.) Use black nerf balls or any type of ball and have the kids try and hit the ship where the cannon ball holes are.

Sea Monster Mural

• Purchase or draw a large pirate picture on a piece of white butcher paper. Leave out crayons, markers, and colored pencils. As guests arrive or if you need to fill some time have them each color a piece of the mural. If it is put on the floor or a large table quite a few kids can work on it at the same time.  (Artwork below done by Joshua Johnson)

Lost Treasure Chest Hunt

• Create a Treasure Chest Hunt in your home or yard. Purchase a cheap paper treasure box or use something from around your house that will work as a treasure box and fill it with whatever loot you would like-chocolate gold coins, candy, plastic coins, little toys.
• Create a simple map of your yard or home before hand and give it to your little guests. Name spots on the map with creative labels such as Skeleton Caves, Peg Leg's Shack, Twilight Tunnel, Lantern Light Mine, Sunset Cliffs, Mirage Water Hole, Black Beards Forest, Smugglers Cove, etc. 
• Have children visit the areas on your map and cross them out once they have looked for treasure there.

OR

• Leave clues for older children leading them to different places on the map.

Meet the Captain

• This is fun if you have someone that is willing to dress up and play the part for you. Dress up Dad, an older brother, Grandpa, anyone willing as a rugged old sea pirate. Have him be present to hand out parts of his treasure when the kids find it on the hunt or just have him talk to the kids and show them some items from his pirate ship. A compass, an anchor (see pirate party decor post), have him talk about storms at sea and make a tornado in a bottle that the kids can play with-see the following link for instructions. http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/makeatornado.html

Ultimate Pirate Birthday Party Decor

There is something so mysterious about pirates that everyone seems to love them. Pirates done right can be such a great party theme for a child of any age. Here are some decoration tips, how to's, and ideas that hopefully you can use on your next birthday party should you choose to have your little ones walk the plank.

Skull and Crossbones Sail

•  You could probably use about any material you wanted here. I used an old canvas type material, slit it down the middle and then had a skull and crossbones painted on it with black acrylic paint. You can make this as big or as small as you would like. The bigger it is the more of a statement it makes. Looks great over a door way or leading in to your party.
• Remember to cut the edges so they look ragged and torn like a pirate sail would.

Pirate Sail

Anchors Away

• The brown anchor you see in the corner is made from newspaper, masking tape and paint.
• Roll up newspaper tightly to the desired thickness and tape the parts together to form an anchor. 
• You'll need to curve the bottom portion.
• Cover the entire anchor in duct or masking tape to add strength. 
• Add triangles to the bottom sides of the anchor
• Paint
• Use where wanted

Cannons

• Using black construction paper and oatmeal containers.
• Cover the oatmeal containers in black paper.
• Add an end and cut out a hole in the center. 
• Position where you would like them.

Extras

• Add shells, sea creatures, and nets where ever possible. It adds to the pirate theme and can usually be found in your home or for a low cost.
• Pictured below is also the outside of a pirates quarters. Brown butcher paper was crinkled up and then colored brown with a brown crayon that had all of the paper taken off of it. 
• Add trees or greenery wherever possible if you are going with pirates on an island.

Pirate "Wood" Signs

• Using cardboard boxes pull them apart, cut them up to the shape of sign you would like. 
• Paint whatever you would like the sign to say and place them around the house or yard for added pirate effect.
• Sign Suggestions:

              Pirates Ye Be Warned
              Turn Back Now
              Pirates Cove 
              Captains Quarters 
              YO HO 
               A Pirates Life for Me

• Go over it in brown crayon if you would like so it looks more like wood.
• Add grey circles for "nails" on the signs with multiple layers of cardboard

Pirate Signs

Pirate Signs

Pirate Ship Decor

• This area was made to look like the inside of a pirate ship. Candle sticks from a local thrift shore hold half burned candles, along with an old alarm clock and a random piece of metal was turned into a weight system by attaching two coconut halves to it. (bottom left of picture)
• Objects gathered from around the house include a globe, a small chest, a lantern, child's Tinkerbell toy, and a lamp. Placed together look like they belong on this Pirate Captains Desk.
• Finish the look with a net, colored stones, pirate coins, and a treasure map purchased from the dollar store.

Pirate Captain Desk

Milk Jug Skeletons

Milk Jug Skeletons

• I first found the pattern for these at www.familyfun.com but can't seem to find it now. Possibly because it is not Halloween. Anyhow there is a tutorial available on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I25SVh66PGM
• Save up some milk jugs and try these out. Once you use them for your party you can save them for Halloween decorations.

Milk Jug Skeletons

• When assembled spray paint the skeletons white and add simple clothes from scraps of fabric. Add bandannas, sashes , pants, and eye patches if available.

 A Pirates Life For Me

• Old plates and gold coins work great to dress up the table pirate style. Milk jug pirates are fun for kids rather then being scary. Make the mouths smiling and you'll have a more fun effect.
• Add glass jars from around the house and small tea lights inside for a candle like effect.

Hope you enjoyed the decor ideas. Tomorrow suggestions for pirate activities, games, and crafts for your party!