One thing I notice as we get closer to the end of the year is that it can become harder and harder to engage my students and keep their attention. The sun is finally shining after a loooong winter season (thank you, Michigan!) and their brains are out to play! That’s why I first came up with this pirate day idea. I wanted a way to spice up our regular routine without breaking the bank to so a classroom transformation.
Today, I wanted to give you a closer peak at our pirate day in kindergarten! I will also show you how I made this digital now that we are online distance learning for the rest of the school year.
Get Your Pirate Hat On!
We start by making pirate hats. This is an easy way to get everyone dressed up and in the pirate spirit! The pirate hat is from my Pirate Day pack, and after students assemble it, we attach it to a sentence strip to make a hat.
Follow the Pirate Map!
I made this map using chart paper and the numbers from my Pirate Day pack. We move the ship along the map after we complete each mission.
My students have to complete 7 missions in order to get to the hidden treasure. I have these missions already planned out in the Pirate Day pack, but there are also editable mission cards included so you can change them up.
Pirate Retell
Reading is Mission #1! I have been loving The Grumpy Pirate so for reading this year I read that book and then students responded through writing. There are also printables included to respond to any pirate read aloud.
Arr! Pirate Ar Words
Arr! You know when you do pirate day that you have to practice ar words! I hide these cards around the room and students search for them and then color the picture on their response sheet the matching color.
Pirate Day Sight Words
If you can’t tell, I like to get us up and moving as much as possible! Before school, I hide these sight word cards around the school. Then, we grab clipboards and go on a sight word hunt around the school!
These sight word cards are editable so you can choose your own words.
If I Was a Pirate Writing
Anyone else’s students completely obsessed with Lamborghini’s? Just mine? For this writing activity, students brainstorm what they would do if they were a pirate. This goes great with the book “How I Became a Pirate.”
Pirate Day Math Activities
For this activity, students practice addition by rolling 2-3 dice, adding them together, and coloring the matching number. You can use dot dice for this, but towards the end of the year I like to give students who are ready number dice. This helps them practice adding mentally or with their fingers.
This Walk the Plank math game is always a hit! I use the numbers to create a large number line. Then, students “walk the plank” to solve the addition or subtraction problems. This is one they ask to play again and again!
All About Parrots
Would it be a pirate day if we didn’t learn all about parrots? I usually project this reading passage and read it to my students. We add things we learned to a bubble map. Then, they write 3 facts about parrots and label the parrot.
For the digital version, I recorded myself reading this passage for students.
X Marks the Spot!
Once students complete all 7 missions, they get to find the hidden treasure! I usually use this sign to decorate a box filled with “gold coins” which are actually vanilla Oreos. You could also have non-food treats like eye patches or a new read aloud book!
Digital Pirate Day
Because of distance learning this year, we had to take our pirate day digital. Students get to move their ship along this treasure map as they complete each challenge. All the activities are housed in one Google Slide resource so they can turn it back into you on Google Classroom.
Want to have a Pirate Day with your kindergarten class?
Find the Pirate Day Pack here!
