One perk to being an artist is that my skills come in handy when coming up with resources and activities to feed the interests of my kids!
The boys are currently fascinated with ships of the explorers. Number 2 is in the fourth grade, where the curriculum at our classical school takes student on a journey through exploration up to the early 19th century. Think Magellen, Captain Cook, and pirate ships. Ships represent adventure, danger, and discovery…three words that may as well be pixie dust for a young boy’s imagination.
When history is paired with a child’s sense of adventure, there is no end to the storytelling, role-playing, and investigation kids are eager to endeavor under the guise of play.
Pirates have long captured the imagination of children everywhere, and my boys are no exception. Wonderful stories of pirates have been told in Peter Pan, Robinson Crusoe, and Treasure Island. My older boys have read the original versions of these stories, while the younger ones have their imaginations stirred through children’s versions and Disney’s adaptations in films.
The boys received a big picture book with information, images, and stories surrounding pirate ships and that era in exploration. They gather around the book for hours, studying the ships and imagining what it would be like to travel the seas in such turbulent conditions.
Part of the fun in discovering ships is to design their own and to learn the terminology for all features of a bona fide pirate ship. With no immediate option for coloring, design, and learning parts of the a ship, I decided to draw one myself. I was just giddy when the boys were enthusiastic to try out the coloring and diagramming sheet I had created for them. And, I’m offering the “Anatomy of A Pirate Ship” coloring sheet free download as a gift to you! Enjoy!!
Directions:
- Click here to download the “Anatomy of A Pirate Ship” coloring sheet. (Download for personal use only.)
- Print the “Anatomy of A Pirate Ship” coloring sheet.
- Provide your child with crayons, markers, glue, glitter, paint, or whatever materials inspire!
- Assist your child with searching on the internet or at the library, for investigating the parts of a ship.
- Help your child diagram “The Anatomy of A Pirate Ship” coloring sheet, filling in the blanks with the following labels:
Main mast
Fore mast
Mizmast
Stay Sail
Jib
Flying Jib
Bowsprit
Bow
Hull
Poop Deck
Driver (Spanker)
Wouldn’t this be a fun and inexpensive activity to do during a Pirate-themed birthday party? Or with a school lesson on the age of exploration in the Western world? Let me know how you use this with your kiddos!
Disney's The Pirate Fairy, a Tinker Bell movie from the world of Peter Pan, is available to own on Blu-ray™ and Digital HD, April 1, 2014! Purchase the movie and join the Disney Fairies fun on Facebook.