Wild West Wanted Posters

Every time I do a Wild West theme, I make wanted posters of the kids. They wear a cowboy hat for the picture and they either smile or make a mad/mean face. Then I come up with a fun name for them. I make the poster using Microsoft Word, change the photo to black and white, and print them on sepia colored paper to make them look old.

You can always add more, like why they are wanted and where they were last seen. And you can make the reward something fun, like candy or hugs. But I always keep it simple.

My first year making these, I played around with them a little, trying to make them look really old and worn. I tried burning the edges and crumpling them up. But I didn't like them that way. It took away from the cuteness of the child's photo. So now I just hang them up normal with the title, Have you seen these Outlaws?

The hardest part about this is coming up with the names. Sometimes I had 24 kids in my class that needed unique cowboy names. (This year I had it easy with seven!) In case you are interested in doing something like this, here is a list of names you can choose from. I use either the child's first or last name, depending on what sounds better. The child's name usually comes last, but sometimes it is first. (In the list below, if it's a last name I only included the first letter.)

Quick-Draw Jackson
Easy-Ridin' Ian
Two-Steppin' Tanner
Mud-Kickin' Max
Lawless Logan
No Heart Noah
Jo Jo Jingles
Wild W...
Crazy Horse C...
Heartless H...
Zeke the Sneak
Boot-Scootin' Brooklynn
Saddlin' Up Sam
Lassoin' Liam
Stink-Eye Elliott
Gallopin' G...
B... the Bandit
Black Jack Justin
Poker Face Ace
Jack Rabbit Jacob
Horseback H...
Do-Si-Do Daniel
Gold-Rushin' R...
Rattlesnake Ryan

I hope that gives you some ideas!