This afternoon, JediBoy was asking more questions about the events he sees in Liberty’s Kids, so we read a few sections from a few different books, then reread Let’s Play Soldier, George Washington. After that he’s been watching Liberty’s Kids and “playing George Washington” outside. I’ve been plotting… er, planning. I realized that Wednesday is Talk Like a Pirate Day, and since JediBoy likes pirates I’ve decided to play it up. While he was watching his dvd I ripped up a grocery bag into small pieces and singed the edges with a candle flame. I discovered that torn edges burn easier than cut edges and I liked poking a hole in the paper and singing the edges of that too. Then while he was outside playing I made up some clues and wrote them on the aged papers with a trusty Pilot Varsity, the layperson’s fountain pen.
Here are my clues - for my own future reference I left the scissors in each picture so I’d have a little idea of scale. You can click on the thumbnails to see a bit more detail. I wanted them to each be a little unique. The clue I’ll hide on his toy pirate ship, for example, is so itty bitty I could barely fit the words on it. I have a pile of cardboard boxes in the back room, so I’ll decorate one as his treasure chest. I’m going to try and hit the dollar store and get him some pirate accessories, maybe pick up a bag of Pirate’s Booty at the grocery store, and I think I’ll hunt down a pirate movie - I’m thinking Muppet Treasure Island, though I haven’t seen Pirates of Penzance in years & I’d love that one. It’s not for me, it’s for him. It’s not for me, it’s for him. It’s not for me…
Ahoy, me hearty! Today be a special day, for we’ll talk like pirates and make merry in every way. To find your first clue, ye’ll have to think smart. And if ye go shopping, ye best take your cart. [toy shopping cart in back room]
A clue ye’ve found, me landlubber boy. Searching for treasure fills a pirate with joy. To find your next clue, ye’ll have to search hard. The clue’s in a bottle, out in the yard. [IBC root beer bottle in front yard]
Another clue here, ye bright young lad. At the end of this search, a prize will be had. To find your next clue, you’ve farther to look. Your clue’s in the clothes that hang on a hook. [dress-up clothes in playroom]
You’ve come so close, ye wee pirate runt. The treasure is good, but the fun’s in the hunt. To find your next clue, be smart as a whip, for I’ve hidden the clue on me own scurvy ship! [wooden pirate ship in nursery]
A tiny wee clue ye have in your hand. But there’s more adventure in the things I have planned. To find your next clue, be brave and be bold. Ye’ll have to search somewhere that’s freezing and cold. [freezer in kitchen]
Ye’ve found it at last, the freezing cold clue! Soon merriment comes for captain and crew. To find your next clue, set sight and take aim. Search amid boxes to find the right game. [Pop-Up Pirates game box in living room]
A most helpful clue has dropped in your lap. What ye now hold is one special map. Use this treasure map to hunt for your box. Ye won’t need your keys, for it has no locks.
[The treasure map shows the pirate ship in place of our house, and our four big trees and shed in the flat of our backyard. The treasure will be hidden behind the last pine tree, where the map has a red X.]
Ye’ve come to the end, and here is your booty, fit for a strong pirate lad, not to mention a cutie. Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day 2007 To [JediBoy] From Long John Silver
I hadn’t come up with ideas like this though.
