Pirate Birthday Party

Last year my turning 5 year old son asked for a pirate party, since he didn't remember very much from the one he had when he was 3.  So I obliged.  We started off with a mural as the kids arrived, just as we did in my daughters' craft party, but apparently I didn't take a picture.  It was a pirate ship on the sea and the kids drew pirates and sunken boats and treasure chests and the like.

Then we played pin the eyepatch on the pirate.

Next came walking the plank.  I'm sorry I only have a picture of me demonstrating for some reason.  The kids stood on the pirate ship couch, then had to walk the piano bench plank, jump into the ocean and swim through the tickling sharks to the island on the other side of the room.  I had to enforce a soft tickling rule and put lines on the floor for the kids to stand on so there would be room to run.  They really thought this was fun.  

Next came island dancing.  My son had picked out some backyardigans songs he liked (some from pirate episodes) and when the music stopped, the kids had to jump into a hula hoop island.  Simple, but fun.

Next was a "fill the treasure chest with jewels" relay race.  I try not to do competitive things with kids this age, just cooperative things.  We lined up and each child took a spoonful of jewels from one table to another and tried to go as fast as they could.  We tried to see how fast we could do it. 

Next came opening presents and the cake.  I went a little crazy on his cake.  I had a very colicky baby and was getting very little sleep, so I don't know why I felt inclined to make an elaborate pirate ship cake.  I guess it was a bit therapeutic for me.  I actually rolled out tootsie rolls and cut them to make the planks on the side.  I don't know how to do fondant, so I did tootsie rolls.  Just plain crazy.  That's what happens when you don't get sleep.