Just For Kids
ARRGH! AVAST ME HEARTIES!
by Lucretia Voigt
Kids love funny voices and new languages. Pig Latin can keep a child busy and entertained during a 12-hour ride to Kentucky - I know, I've used it, and my son Cooper is really good at it! My son Holbrook will sit for hours while I read "Good Morning, Digger!" over and over - as long as I make the machine noises and come very close to a staged reading each and every time. Because of this, I look for any reason to

expand our international vocabulary, or at least our impressions of sounds you never thought you could make.

September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Never heard of it? Well, scallywags, time for you to walk the plank!

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is celebrated each year on September 19, and is the imaginative creation of two men who hold Peter Pan as their mentor and obviously have too much time on their hands. For you romantics out there, the date was picked because it was the birthday of one of the guys wives.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a pretty easy holiday. All you have to do is talk like a pirate! In case you've forgotten your pirate vocabulary, here's a brief refresher: • Ahoy - hello • Arrgh - general pirate term - can mean whatever

you want - sort of like "um" • Avast - stop • Booty - treasure • Buccaneer - pirate • Bucko - friend • Deadlights - eyes • Doubloons or Pieces of Eight - gold • Gangway - used to clear a passage

through a crowded area • Grub - food • Hardtack - biscuits • Hang the jib - to pout • Hornswaggle - to cheat • Me hearties or Me mateys -

my good friends • Scallywag - scoundrel • Sink me! or Shiver me

timbers! - expressions

of surprise • Smartly - quickly

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a great holiday to celebrate with your kids. First caveat: tell your kids not to celebrate this at school, or their teachers may call them a scallywag and make them walk the plank to the principal's office, which will result in a long bout of hanging the jib.

After your little buccaneers have been safely marooned on the desert island of your home, you can plan a pirate-filled night. Use your imagination to rename nutritious grub that otherwise your child might not eat. Cut carrots crosswise to create "coins" - you can serve them raw or lightly sauté them over medium heat in a pan with a teaspoon of butter for 8 minutes. Mix another teaspoon of butter with one teaspoon of brown sugar. Add this to the carrots and sauté for 2 more minutes, then serve. Yes, there is fat and sugar in this recipe - but if it gets my kids to eat carrots, it's worth it!

Fish is always a good pirate entree, and if you can grill it all the better. If your children aren't fond of eating fish, you can always grill chicken or burgers and give them piratey names, as gross or as funny as you want. Orange slices should be served to prevent scurvy. In addition, you can make a fruit salad with blueberries as sapphires, red raspberries as rubies, and green grapes as emeralds.

Biscuits were a pirate staple because they could be baked ahead and would keep on ships for long periods of time. It doesn't mean they were edible after a few days, which explains the reason for their being called "hardtack". You can make biscuits but don't worry about being authentic - you are the one who will have to pay your kids' dentist bills if they break a tooth.

You can get your toddler involved by letting him help you make the dessert. Peanut Butter Cannonballs are easy and require no baking.

For this dessert you will need: 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup rice crispy cereal, 1/2 cup coconut. I am a big advocate of natural organic peanut butter, but it doesn't work well with this recipe. Use the peanut butter you ate as a child (not the actual peanut butter - just the brand). Have your toddler measure out the cereal, powdered sugar and peanut butter and mix them together. Tip: measure out the cereal first and then the peanut butter so you can use the same measuring cup. Otherwise, you'll have to wash it or use a different one. After you and your toddler have mixed the ingredients thoroughly together, take a spoonful of the mixture and roll it into a ball and roll the ball in the coconut. Do this until the mixture is gone (that's pretty obvious, isn't it?). Place the "cannonballs" in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or longer. You can make darker "cannonballs" by replacing the coconut with cocoa powder - make sure you don't get unsweetened chocolate, though, or even the most hardy buccaneer will pass.

You can take this theme as far as you want, by hanging a Jolly Roger flag from your front porch, making everyone eat with their hands (your kids will love that one), and serving them "grog" (which looks a lot like milk) in wine glasses. The real booty is spending time with your family, having fun and making

memories. I