International Talk Like A Pirate Day
Argh me hearties! So yer ‘ere to learn the vast secrets of this sacred day that soon be upon us!? You guessed it, we’re referring to ‘International Talk Like a Pirate Day’! Today was started in June 1995 where an innovative Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy (formally known as John Baur and Mark Summers) sat down and decided to start the holiday as a great excuse to enjoy dressing up as pirates and talking like them too! This day offers an opportunity to not only have a fun day acting silly but to give something back. People can dress up as pirates and raise money for charities – and what could be better than that!?
Free Pirate Printable
We’ve pulled together some fun pirate activities that you can do at home with your little ones here. So grab your cheeky scowl and get ready for some pirrraaate fun!
Get singing some sea shanties!
Get together with your sea mates, put your arms around each other and sing a good ol’ sea shanty! What is a sea chanty though? It is a traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels (or pirate ships!). Have a listen to Banjo’s pirate sea shanty playlist on Spotify!
Pirate Glossary
We’ve given you some AMAZING pirate phrases in our free printable but these are a few more of our favourites:
Batten Down The Hatches – Tie everything down and put stuff away for a coming storm!
Blow me down! – Shock or amazement!
Bounty – A reward for capturing a pirate!
Crow’s Nest – A small lookout platform near the mast to see long distances at sea!
Heave Ho – Put your weight and muscle into it!
Try and squeeze these into a conversation today!
Pirate Films
If all these pirate activities are leaving you needing a rest, why not watch a pirate film? Hook, Treasure Island and Pirates of the Caribbean are our favourites at Banjo HQ!
Pirate Facts
Real pirates did wear eye patches!
We couldn’t quite believe this! It’s thought that pirates really wore them so that they could keep one eye accustomed to the dark. This came in handy for when they had to go below deck in a hurry!
There were female pirates!
Mary Read, Anne Bonny and Grace O’Malley were all captains of their own pirate ships. One of the most famous and successful female pirates was known as Madame Cheng. In her lifetime she commanded over 300 ships and had an estimated following of around 3,500 pirates!
Pirates didn’t really make people walk the plank!
The idea of pirates making people walk the plank actually comes from adventure stories about pirates and there’s no evidence it was done in real life!
Just remember: though this is a pirate imitation day, please do not pillage, steal or brawl!
Stay FANTASTIC me hearties!
Love, Banjo HQ x
