Pirates in the classroom! Our favourite school workshop.
Our fascinating session on pirates explores their factual history, and how we’ve grown to love these criminals through those ‘heroes’ Captain Hook and Jack Sparrow.
We encourage the children to dress up for the day, and we start with a surprise in assembly, where the meet Cap’n ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham and Anne Bonney.
Then – all children pick a pirate name for the day, join the crew and receive the ‘black spot’ on their hand or forehead to signify their new-found allegiance to their pirate cause…
A treasure map is produced and we all follow the clues, whilst trying to stay one step ahead of the Royal Navy!
We’ll introduce a range of ideas and explore them:
- swabbing the decks, and barrels o’ grog!
- landlubbers and salty old sea dogs
- “Avast, me hearties!” – how to talk like a pirate
- cannons, blunderbuss and cutlass training
- singing sea shanties together as we row a boat or do hard work together
- hauling on ropes to raise the sails
- punishments on board, walking the plank, keelhauling, and floggings with the cat o’ nine tails
- treasure chests with pieces of eight and Spanish doubloons.
