The ocean is full of mystery and interesting things. Pirates have fascinated people for centuries and they are one of the most interesting things to happen on the ocean. The history of pirates is surrounded by different myths and speculation. Pirates used to be feared by anyone who set sail on the ocean, but now are idolized and seen as exciting and fun. So in that vein, here is some information on how to make pirate ship crafts. They can be fun for kids of any age to get involved with and will help provide a teaching opportunity about pirates and the ocean in general.
Some general research about pirates and ships may be a good place to start for this project. It can help if you understand more about the way ships are built if you are going to be building your own ship. Knowing the different parts of a ship can also provide a teaching opportunity for your children. They can learn about what the helm, the stern and the bow of the ship are. Doing some general ship anatomy will help them understand the parts of the model milk carton ship you will be building with them.
Start out with a plan and your list of supplies. If you don’t normally use milk that comes in cartons, you may need to take some time and plan ahead and get a few milk cartons. Make sure that your milk carton is clean and dry inside. You don’t want your craft to start smelling funny after a few days or to have mold or other moisture problems occur inside the carton. You’ll also need construction paper, a plastic straw or pencil for the mast, glue and markers for coloring. First take the milk carton and attach a piece of folded paper to the back of the carton to make the upper deck of the ship. This part if very important to make sure that you use the same color of paper you will be covering the ship with. Brown is probably the best color, because that is the color of the wood normally used for shipbuilding. When you have this piece attached, then you can move on to the other parts of the ship. Attach paper that will serve as the covering for the ship. You can use markers to draw or outline the planks of the boards on the sides of the ship. You can also draw the port holes on the side of the ship and any other parts that you think are relevant or could be added to your craft. When you are prepared to make the sail, take a piece of construction paper and cut it to be the right size and shape for your particular ship. You can use a hole-punch or just poke the straw or pencil through the paper that will act as the sail, so that it will remain on the mast you are making. You should then punch a small hole in the center of the area that is acting as the deck of the ship. Then put the straw or pencil in the hole and you have your mast and sails. When you have your mast and sails in place, you are done except for any other embellishments you want to make.
Keep in mind that you won’t be able to get all of the details that a real pirate ship would have, but you can get a fair representation of a sea going ship and this will help you learn more about the ocean and how ships work on the ocean. Feel free to make any variations you want like adding more sails or a helm to steer the ship. No matter what your ship ends up looking like, you will have had a good time learning about ships and pirates.