Candy Apple Chronicles: Pirates, Ho!

Well, we've survived the first week of school! I know some of you haven't even begun school yet, but we started last Tuesday. Being that we homeschool, we did not need to spend time with "Getting to Know You" activities, or going over routines and procedures. So, we were able to jump right into learning!

In an attempt to get my son excited about going back to school, I elected to spend our first couple of weeks learning about one of his favorite topics: Pirates! Here are just a few facts we've discovered:

Pirates have been around for as long as there have been ships at sea.
The Golden Age of Piracy, the time during which the most famous piracy took place, lasted from the mid-1600s to the mid-1700s. It was during these years that all the famous pirates like Blackbeard, Calico Jack, and Captain Kidd did their looting.
Pirates considered treasure to be more than just gold and jewels! For example, they frequently raided ships to steal fresh food and water, medications to treat common illnesses, supplies like new ropes and sails, tools and weapons, and especially maps of local coastlines!
When pirates did strike it rich with chests of gold, they rarely buried them! Instead, they headed to islands like Tortuga (yes, it's a real place) to enjoy their good fortune by gambling and drinking it away. Most often, they spent their treasure as fast as they stole it!

In addition to the historical significance of this unit, we've incorporated the theme into our language arts time as well. Here are a couple of charts we've done so far:

In addition, we've set our reading series aside for this week to focus on some non-fiction passages I created about pirates. These passages are available in my Pirate Unit on Teachers Pay Teachers. We used Guided Reading to read the passage, and then my son answered the comprehension and inference questions that went along with the reading.

My son has enjoyed some of our pirate centers this week as well, including this one featuring subtraction facts practice clothespin clip cards:

But, of course, we've had some fun along the way as well! Here are a few samples of our crafts from the week:

The pirate he was supposed to make.


Seven-year-old boy's version. I guess it IS more realistic.


Our spyglass made from a painted paper towel tube and a party cup. (Embellished with metallic gold tape.) This was not my creation....got it off Pinterest!


Treasure Chest......outside.....


....and inside.

Finally, I must share my favorite of his creations from the week! We talked about treasure today and I explained that treasure did not have to mean gold or silver, but could be anything of value. Then I had him complete a writing prompt that asked, "What do you consider a treasure? Draw a picture of it and write about why it is special to you." He didn't follow the directions exactly but, hey.......do you think I had the heart to correct him???? This is one of those precious moments I think about on days when I wonder why I am homeschooling!!