2007 Printable Manual - Texas State Library and Archives ...

Sail Away With Books!
Scissors
Pencils
Directions
Give each child a piece of black construction paper. Provide white and red paper for them to
decorate their own design for their flag. Show the Jolly Roger flags that you created for
decorations as examples. Display books with examples of these types of flags and let the children
look at examples on the Brethren of the Coast Pirate Flag web site at
www.geocities.com/captcutlass/Flag.html or at the Blackbeard Lives web site at
www.blackbeardlives.com/day1/jolly.shtml.
Games and Activities
Treasure Hunt
Begin by placing a series of clues around the library. The first clue should lead to the next clue
and so on. For example, a clue might be “What is the capital of Puerto Rico?” You can set up
the hunt to either have the kids look in specific books or have them cite where they found the
information. When the children find each answer, give them another clue. For the older children,
the questions may be more difficult, use the Internet, or use their computer skills. For example, a
question for older children might be “Who wrote the book Pirate Pete Sets Sail?” Let the
children use all the sections of the library. The last clue should lead to a treasure, such as
refreshments in the program room or a treasure chest with small prizes.
Scavenger Hunt
Give the participants a list of items they must find in the library. The first child or group of
children, to return with all the items wins a small prize. Be sure that the items on your list are
readily available in sufficient supply or that they require the children to interact with staff. For
example, one item might require that the children ask the circulation staff for a library card
application.
Musical Islands
Cut several pieces of construction paper to resemble the shape of islands. Place these on the floor
in a circular pattern. There should be one island less than the number of participants. Play some
of the pirate music listed in the Audio Recordings section of this program while the children
walk around the islands. Once the music stops every child must step on an island. Only one child
may be on an island at a time. The child who is not on an island is “out.” Take one island away
and repeat until there is only one child left.
Guest Speakers
Invite a bird handler, pet storeowner, or someone else who works with parrots and small
monkeys to bring pets and talk about their care and habits. Be sure that the handler stresses that
monkeys and parrots require a lot of care and are not suitable pets for every family.
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