Through the adventure, children explore Web sites to answer questions that Captain Dave poses about pirates. The site was designed to function as an on-line component of the 1997 summer reading program at the library. Up until then, SRP was oriented for home and library. We thought there might be a way to add another dimension to the program and promote the library's Web site as a resource for children. We wanted a program that would be entertaining for kids who had some experience with surfing the Net but also useful for children who needed to grasp basic Web navigation skills.
Pirates get to dress funny, wave swords, shoot cannons, and swing from the mizzenmast.
If somebody tries to pick on you, you shoot the cannon at him. Then you merrily sail away to another adventure with a chest of gold and a parrot on your shoulder. Children seem to share Goudsward's interest in swashbucklers. More than 300 children in 27 states and four countries have completed the adventure. That doesn't include kids in classes that submitted group answers.