Just One More Story...: Pirates and Princesses

Roger the Jolly Pirate by Brett Helquist

Roger, a "lousy pirate," is derisively given the nickname "Jolly Roger" by his shipmates. Although he tries to be a proper buccaneer, he is inevitably sent below deck whenever there is serious marauding to be done. When the Admiral attacks the ship, Roger is once again sent to the hold. In an attempt to win the favor of his crewmates, he bakes a cake in a cannon he mistakes for a pot. The explosive result-Roger flying above deck amid flour, smoke, and powder, looking exactly like a screaming skeleton-sends the Admiral's men leaping off their vessel convinced that the pirates have a ghost on their side. In recognition of his feat, his shipmates stitch up a flag that has gone down in history as the "Jolly Roger."

This was a fun and lighthearted tale. My boys really enjoyed and have requested it several times. The pictures are great and we got a kick out of them.

We have a week full of piratey fun planned, but we can’t do it without our pirate gear. So today we made pirate t-shirts. Well, I made the t-shirts, the boys just watched. In honor of Roger the Jolly Pirate, we chose the Jolly Roger for our design.

Materials:

T-shirt

Fabric Paint

Brush

Freezer paper

Picture of what you would like to paint

Scissors and/or Exacto knife

Steps:

Find a picture that you would like to use for your shirt. We did a free clipart search online. Print out picture and trace onto freezer paper. Remember to have shiny side down.

Cut out picture. An exacto knife makes the cutting a lot easier, especially using it for the initial cut. Just don’t forget to do it over a board.

Place stencil on shirt in the right location, shiny side down. Iron on. The freezer paper will stick right on. I stick a piece of paper underneath the area I will be painting, so that the paint doesn't soak through.