Create a Fruit Pirate Ship for a Healthy Treat

Are you looking for a fun family activity or something awesome to make for a birthday party, Talk Like a Pirate Day, or any other fun occasion? My husband, Tom, made this super fun and cool pirate ship, and it’s quite easy to make!

Have fun!

Avast, ye land lubbers! This pirate ship made entirely of fruit is perfect as a fun and healthy family activity. You can make it as a centerpiece for a kids’ pirate theme party, a family activity for International Talk Like a Pirate Day September 19 or a celebratory treat as part of a pirate unit study. I’m a 29-year-old kid and had so much fun designing and building this pirate ship. Kids of all ages will love creating their own pirate-ship masterpiece.

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Here’s how to make it!

You Will Need

• A large oval-shaped watermelon
• A large orange
• 5 white grapes
• 1 cactus pear (A plum would work also but I suggest you try a cactus pear if you can)
• 10 red toothpicks
• 5 blue toothpicks (colors are your choice)
• 3 12″ bamboo skewers
• Wood cutting board
• 8″ Chef’s knife
• Carving knife (optional)
• Vegetable knife
• Melon baller

Carving the Hull

1. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut out a wedge from the front of your watermelon. This will form the ship’s front.

2. Slice a large chunk from the top 2/3 of the watermelon to form the main deck. Try to keep both parts intact.

3. Slice a smaller block out of the back of the watermelon to form the captain’s deck

4. You have now formed the hull of your fruit pirate ship!

Making the Sails

1. Take the large chunk of watermelon you sliced off in part 2 of Carving the Hull. Slice it in half and then carefully slice the skin away from the flesh. You may find this easier with a thinner carving knife. The skin will form your sails, so be careful not to slice through it.

2. Trim the edges of your sail so that it is a neat square or rectangle.

3. Push one of the 12″ bamboo sticks through both sides of your sail.

4.  Insert your mast and sail into the main deck and spike an orange wedge on the top of the mast.

5. Repeat steps 1 – 3 and insert your second mast and sail into the captain’s deck.

6. Slide some spare chunks of watermelon and orange onto the final 12″ bamboo stick and insert into the bow of your ship to create the figurehead.

Constructing Your Pirates

This could be a quick activity if you are short on time and is a perfect way to involve younger children.

1. Make 5 melon balls from some of the spare chunks of watermelon and your melon baller. These will be your pirate heads.

2. Slice up your cactus pear. First slice it from top to bottom and then across the width to create your pirate hats.

3. If you prepare a Montessori-inspired pirate-making tray, younger children can construct their own pirates. See Living Montessori Now for more information on where this tray came from. Put your toothpicks (blue ones snapped in half), grape bodies, melon ball heads and cactus pear hats into separate containers and place them on a tray.

4. Use a red toothpick to attach the pirate’s hat, head and body together. Then slide another red toothpick straight through the body to make the arms. Use 2 halves of a blue toothpick to make the legs. I made mine with a little peg leg here, arrgghh matey!

5. Make four more pirates and add them onto your ship. Don’t forget to make one of them the captain on the captain’s deck! Bring me the horizon, you scurvy dogs!! 

Finishing Touches

Why not make a little display with your fruit pirate ship? I used Safari Ltd Ocean TOOB and Safari Ltd Coral Reef TOOB. You could also use this Safari Ltd Pirate TOOB.

Here’s the melon baller if you don’t have one already.

Photos (except those with a blue background) taken by Deb Chitwood. Montessori-inspired fruit pirate tray designed by Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now.

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