Create a Pirate Ship - Trivia & Craft Activities for Kids
Updated: Dec 4, 2020
The Pirate Ship
Pirates often stole their ships rather than buying them. This was because piracy was illegal and if they got caught their ship would be taken off them (what a waste of money!). But they would adapt any ship they stole to better fit their pirating needs, such as clearing space for all the crew (pirate ships were more heavily manned than other ships) and reinforcing the decks to hold the heavy cannons.
Pirates often sailed in ships called Sloops or Frigates. These ships were made primarily out of wood with masts and square sails. Frigates were the larger of the two. Frigates had three masts and could hold up to 40 mounted guns and house up to 200 crewmembers. They were surprisingly light and agile for their size. This was ideal for a crew of pirates who often targeted slower and less agile ships, such as merchant ships, to raid. A fast ship was also essential for the pirates to outrun any large warships, because Sloops and Frigates didn't stand a chance against such powerful ships in battle.
Find out more about a pirate's ideal ship here*.
Activity:
Create your own pirate ship from a recycled milk carton using this guide from Fave Crafts. Make sure to add all of the features of a good pirate ship, such as sails made from toilet roll tubes and and even an egg carton crow's nest at the top of the mast to keep look out.
Plus this ship actually floats! So you can pop your pirate ship in water and sail the seven seas.
Find full details on how to create your milk carton pirate ship here.
Don't forget to call your pirate ship a powerful and intimidating name to scare your enemies!
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*Links to articles from the Imagining History Blog.
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