I have 7 Wyatt Earp and the cowboy facts and a fun gun holster handicraft. Also, your kids will love this Free American History Lapbook The Old West Through the Life of Wyatt Earp.
Too, today is a tribute to National Day of the Cowboy which is the fourth Saturday in July. It really began in the heart of Texas.
However, we’re also learning about Wyatt Earp.
One thing about Wyatt Earp and the cowboys is that they always had a gun in a holster at their side in the wild untamed west.
Many boys and girls love pretending that they are taming the Wild West, protecting their wagons, etc. So, I thought the perfect craft for this theme is a diy gun holster.
We are going to fashion a quick but serviceable holster with just felt and embroidery thread so our little gunslingers can get on the move.
But let’s learn more about Wyatt Earp and the Cowboys before we make our holster.
Grab your favorite add-on activities, games, and books from my resources below.
One side was lawmen, the other outlaws.
You have likely heard of the Gunfight at the Okay Corral in Tombstone, Arizona between them.
However, that was just one story in the long hard life of Wyatt Earp.
7 Wyatt Earp and the Cowboys Facts
- Wyatt Earp was larger than life indeed. He stood 6 feet when the average height was only about 5 feet 6 inches, his brothers were also tall.
- The 1881 Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone is believed to only have lasted 30 seconds.
- Wyatt’s life was a restless one. At various times throughout his life, he held many different positions, such as a constable, city policeman, county sheriff, Deputy U.S. Marshal, Deputy Sheriff, teamster, buffalo hunter, saloon owner, gambler, mine owner, bouncer and a boxing referee.
- Earp was the last surviving participant of the OK Corral shootout, dying at home at the age of 80 years old.
- At just 17, Wyatt left his home and went to work hauling freight and grading track for the Union Pacific Railroad.
- After he left Tombstone, Wyatt Earp moved around the West, and he ended up settling in California with Josephine Marcus.
- At age 62, Earp was hired to work for the Los Angeles Police Department to perform tasks considered “outside the law”.
:
Next, look at more hands-on activities about Wyatt Earp and the cowboys.
More Activities for Wyatt Earp and the Cowboys
- I think it would be really fun to also add this Printable Sheriff’s Badge craft to go along with your DIY holster.
- For older kids, this version of Wyatt Earp on Amazon Prime might be a good option for your family.
- You could also create your own “Wanted Poster” for crimes like stealing cookies from the cookie jar or unlawful noise level.
- Free American History Lapbook The Old West Through the Life of Wyatt Earp
- Set the mood with a little wild west backdrop in the form of a Desert Sunset Painting.
- Free Printable History Board Game – American History Through the Life of Wyatt Earp
- Learning American History through the Life of Wyatt Earp – Hands-on Activities
- I have a Children’s Encyclopedia of American History that had several wonderful pages on the expansion West, Wild West celebrities, and settling the West.
- Not Wyatt Earp and the Cowboys specific but What Was The Wild West is a great supplement to learn all about the wild west.
Also, add some of these books and fun resources.
American History Through the Eyes of Wyatt Earp Resources
Add one or two of these books to your unit study about Wyatt Earp who lived between 1848 and 1929.
- Possibly the greatest gunfighter the Old West ever knew.
On the afternoon of October 26, 1881, eight men clashed in what would be known as the most famous shootout in American frontier history. Thirty bullets were exchanged in thirty seconds, killing three men and wounding three others.The fight sprang forth from a tense, hot summer. Cattle rustlers had been terrorizing the back country of Mexico and selling the livestock they stole to corrupt ranchers. The Mexican government built forts along the border to try to thwart American outlaws, while Arizona citizens became increasingly agitated. Rustlers, who became known as the cow-boys, began to kill each other as well as
innocent citizens. That October, tensions boiled over with Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, and Billy Claiborne confronting the Tombstone marshal, Virgil Earp, and the suddenly deputized Wyatt and Morgan Earp and shotgun-toting Doc Holliday.
Of all the colorful characters that inhabited the West during the 19th century, the most famous of them all is Wyatt Earp (1848-1929), who has long been regarded as the embodiment of the Wild West. Considered the toughest and deadliest gunman of his day.
Earp symbolized the swagger, the heroism, and even the lawlessness of the West, notorious for being a law enforcer, gambler, saloon keeper, and vigilante. The Western icon is best known for being a sheriff in Tombstone, but before that he had been arrested and jailed several times himself, in one case escaping from prison, and he was not above gambling and spending time in houses of ill-fame.
This book is designed for anyone who loves Wyatt Earp. Put all of your stress behind, have a nice seat, then find out what will amaze you inside this fascinating coloring book!
This coloring book is a perfect collection of stunning images and perfect artworks of Wyatt Earp film. Besides that, bleeding is no longer a big problem in this book because all pages are printed on high-quality papers.
With a balance of design and simple elements, these images will satisfy adults and experienced colorists without being overwhelming to a beginner.
A biography of the lawman who helped to bring order to "The Wickedest Town in the West," Dodge City, Kansas.
How to Make a Kids DIY Gun Holster
You will need:
- Felt or leather sheets
- Scissors
- Cardstock
- Embroidery floss
- Embroidery needle or regular needle
- Child’s belt
- Toy gun for template
Start by laying your child’s toy gun on a sheet of cardstock, tracing around it leaving about 1 12/” of space all the way around.
You want the handle portion to stick out above the holster.
Next, cut out the cardstock template.
Now fold over your felt and lay the template on top.
Trace and cut out both layers.
On the back piece fold the felt over about 2” down from the top and cut two lines 1 1/2” or so apart. This is where they will thread the belt through.
It is totally up to you if you want to mark or let your child mark every ½” around for the thread holes or if you want to just let them sew it as near as they can.
But since you will be going in and out of each side you will need to do it on both sides. We just laid a ruler alongside and made a tiny pin mark.
Thread a long piece of embroidery thread through the needle.
Even though it is a bit harder to push through the felt I recommend using the dull embroidery needle with young or first-time sewers.
Kids DIY Gun Holster
Otherwise, you can just pull out 1 or 2 threads from the floss and put on a regular needle.
Be sure that both sides are lined up perfectly, you can hold it in place with a few pins if you like.
We are going to use a whipstitch to sew all the way around.
Don’t worry about perfection, this is a great beginning handicraft for young children to learn how to hold a needle and sew.
While they are running around the yard playing Wyatt Earp, they won’t notice their imperfect stitches.
Stitch from one corner all the way around, rethreading as you need, knotting, and cutting off excess each time.
Slide the belt through the loops you made in the back to secure it and it’s ready for action.
This activity could also be done with older children using a thin piece of leather, a piercing tool, and leather cording following the same directions but “threading” the cording through the holes by hand.
