Make Like Roger and Have a Jolly Good Time in the Car
by Laurel Smith (Road Trip
Mom)
Aaarrrrrrrrrr we there yet?
Make the time pass quickly on your long car trip by pretending to
be a crew of pirates for the day.
The Interstate is your ocean!
To make it even more fun, surprise your crew with this traveling theme,
and don't tell them until just before you leave. Then pass out the pirate
bandanas and "order" everyone aboard!
Pick a Pirate Persona The driver is the captain,
obviously. Other passengers in the car are always referred to as "the crew".
Crew members are not allowed to call the driver "Mom" or "Dad", but can
only address them as "Captain" or "Captain Mom", or whatever you order
them to call you. As captain, you can give orders that everyone MUST
carry out.
Assign a First Mate, Navigator,
or Lookout. Crew members can all choose pirate names if they wish.
Your vehicle is your ship. Be sure to name it too. Then refer to
it all day by it's name. For example, "Shiver me timbers! It's time
to refuel for The Black Pearl!".
Speak like pirates Refer to your fellow crew
members as "mates", and be sure to get refills on your "rum" (whatever
you happen to be drinking on board your ship). Say stuff pirates
would say, such as:
Avast! (Looky there!)
Ahoy! (hello)
Aye Aye! (yes sir!)
Abandon Ship! (everybody
get out of the car for a pit stop)
Land Ho! (when you can see your
destination)
Shiver Me Timbers! (when you
are shocked or surprised)
All Aboard!! (time to get back
in the car)
This sounds like mutiny! (when
disagreements break out for not listening to the captain!)
Scallywag (a bad rotten no good
person!)
Sea Rover (a pirate ship)
Sea Dog (experienced sailors)
Jolly Roger (pirate flag with
skull and crossbones)
Land Lubber (a person not familiar
with sailing)
Aaaaarrrrrr!!! (whenever
the mood hits. Say this after nearly everything)
For example, "Avast ye mates!
It's the Starbucks drive-through that the captain has been searching for.
Thar she blows right off the starboard bow!" and,
"Yo ho ho, we need to stop and go... .....to the bathroom."
Sing Pirate Songs Have an old fashion car
sing along, or download pirate themed songs onto your iPod before your
trip and play them in the car. See the pirate
song lyrics below to a few of good ones that we love to sing, or print
this pdf page with some pirate song lyrics.
Dress Like Pirates This is easy. Get some cheap
pirate
themed bandanas, or any old bandana will probably do. Wear them on
your head or around your arm. Make some eye patches with paper and
crayons. Designs all kinds of jewelry or a hook with a roll of tinfoil
(see my article on aluminum foil art for
ideas).
Tell Pirate Jokes
Why couldn't the little kid
see the pirate movie? (Because it was rated Arrrrr!)
What is a one-legged pirate's
favorite place for breakfast? (IHOP)
What happened when the man shook
hands with Captain Hook? (He got the
point! Aaaaargh!)
How much does it cost for a
pirate to pierce his ears? (A buck an ear!!! Aaaarrrgh!)
What's a pirate's favorite socks?
(Arrrrgyle)
What has 12 arms, 12 legs and
12 eyes? (A dozen pirates. Aaaarrrrrrr!)
Make up your own. For example:
What is a pirate's favorite fast food restaurant? (Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrby's!
)
Feel free to share
your pirate jokes by posting them to the comments on this
page of my blog. Thanks matey!
Watch Pirate Movies If you're going to watch
movies on your portable DVD player, stick to the theme. Some great pirate
movies for kids could include:
Pirates of the Caribbean (I,
II, and III)
Peter Pan
Hook
Muppets Treasure Island
Play Games with a
Pirate Twist Play lots of traditional
car games, but keep the pirate theme. For example, if you're playing Hangman,
choose words that are meaningful to pirates such as "Davy Jones Locker"
or "Dead Man's Chest" or "Booty". If you're counting cows or
doing a travel scavenger hunt, announce "Thar she blows!" whenever you
see what you are looking for. Draw pictures of pirates and ships.
Draw treasure maps, and pirate flags to decorate the inside of the car.
Basically just use your imagination
for every aspect of the journey. Take no prisoners, follow the captain's
orders and you'll be there in no time. Land ho!
For more fun with swashbuckling
children, see my article Pirates of Kentucky
Lake to read about my family's adventure on the high seas!
When I was One I sucked my
thumb the day I went to sea.
I climbed aboard a pirate
ship
And the captain said to
me
We’re going:
This way, that way
Forward, backward,
Over the Irish sea.
A bottle of Sprite took
care of my fright, and that’s the life for me!
When I was 2, I tied my shoe...
3- Skinned my knee
4- Shut the door
5- Did a jive
6- Picked up sticks
7- Went to Heaven
8- Had a date
9- Broke my spine
10- I said The End!
A Pirate's Life for Me
(Yo Ho)
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's
life for me.
We pillage plunder, we rifle
and loot.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
We kidnap and ravage and
don't give a hoot.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's
life for me.
We extort and pilfer, we
filch and sack.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
Maraud and embezzle and
even highjack.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's
life for me.
We kindle and char and in
flame and ignite.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
We burn up the city, we're
really a fright.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
We're rascals and scoundrels,
we're villians and knaves.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
We're devils and black sheep,
we're really bad eggs.
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
We're beggars and blighters
and ne'er do-well cads,
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
Aye, but we're loved by
our mommies and dads,
Drink up me 'earties, yo
ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's
life for me.
What Shall We Do With
a Drunken Sailor There are many different
versions of the lyrics. Feel free to make up some of your own! Note
that "early" is generally pronounced as "earl-eye." We like to sing this
one while sipping root beer!
Intro What
shall we do with a drunken sailor, (3×)
Early
in the morning?
Chorus Hey Ho
(or Hoo–ray/Wey–hey/Heave-ho) and up she rises, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Verses Stick
him in a bag and beat him senseless, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put him
in the longboat till he’s sober, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put him
in the brig until he's sober, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Slap him
around and call him Suzie, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put him
in bed with the captain's daughter, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
You haven't
seen the captain's daughter, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Keelhaul
the man until he's sober, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put 'im
in the crow's nest and watch him fall down, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put 'im
in a leaky boat an' make 'im bail 'er, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put him
in the bilge and make him drink it, (3x)
Early
in the morning!
Pull out
the plug and wet him all over, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Give 'im
the hair of the dog that bit him, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put 'im
in the back of the paddywagon, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Take 'im
and shake 'im and try an' wake 'im, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Soak 'im
in oil till he sprouts a flipper, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Put 'im
in charge of an Exxon tanker, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Shave
his belly with a rusty razor, (3×)
Early
in the morning!
Outro That’s
what we’ll do with a drunken sailor, (3×)
Early
in the morning! (Amen)
-------------- Laurel
Smith is a former schoolteacher and currently a stay-at-home-mom who has
logged thousands of road trip miles both as a kid and a mom. Visit
her website for more than 101 travel games and activities for kids at http://www.MomsMinivan.com
