Dear Parents and Caregivers: Our Toddler and Preschool storytimes celebrate the diversity of people, places, and more through books, fingerplays, and other materials. Please continue helping your child develop a love for the world around them and a love for books and reading by sharing these rhymes, books, and other activities with your child. To learn more about our Storytime Values, please see https://read.poudrelibraries.org/kids/storytime.cfm.

Fun With Fingerplays and Songs I’m a Little Cowpoke (Tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”) I’m a little cowpoke Here is my hat. Here are my spurs And here are my chaps.

As soon as I get up I work all day I get on my horse And ride away.

Way out West (Tune: “Old Macdonald”) Way out West are buffaloes. Yippie-yippie-oh! Way out West are buffaloes. Yippie-yippie-oh! With a stomp, stomp here, And a stomp, stomp there. Here a stomp, there a stomp, Everywhere a stomp, stomp. Way out West are buffaloes. Yippie-yippie-oh!

Repeat the song with other animals and sounds: Prairie dogs – bark, bark Rattlesnakes – hiss, hiss, Jackrabbits – twitch, twitch Coyotes – howl, howl

Books To Share

Roundup at the Palace by Kathleen Cook Waldron Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett Cowboy Ned and Andy by David Ezra Stein The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell Cowboy and Octopus by Jon Scieszka When the Cows Got Loose by Carol Weis Don’t Touch My Hat by James Rumford Every Cowgirl… series by Rebecca Janni Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg by Lori Mortensen Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas Buster Goes to Cowboy Camp by Denise Fleming Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope by Lisa Moser Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hobkinson The Sundown Kid: A Southwestern Shabbat by Barbara Bietz There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant by Helen Ketteman

Old Town Library 201 Peterson

Council Tree Library 2733 Council Tree Avenue

Harmony Library 4616 South Shields

A joint-use facility of

Front Range Community College and Poudre River Public Library District

www.PoudreLibraries.org 221.6740

Reasonable accommodations will be made for access to programs for people with disabilities. Please call 221.6740 for assistance.

Updated 8/19

Other Fun Things

Decorated Cowpoke Boots Draw a boot pattern. Have your child write his/her name on it and decorate. Add some glue and glitter. Yee-hah!

Cactus Counting Make 10 large cactus cutouts on green construction

paper. Number the cutouts 1-10. Provide 2-inch pieces of brown pipe cleaner to represent the cactus spines. Children will count and place the correct number of spines on each cactus cutout.

Make Trail Mix Have your child decorate a "saddle bag”....brown lunch bag....and choose what he/she would like to put into their trail mix. Put out treats like: mini pretzels, mini marshmallows, raisins, little toasted breads, chocolate chips, cereal, etc. Take outside for a cowboy picnic!!

Yah-hoo! (Tune: “She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain”) Oh, a cowpoke sings a riding song. Yah-hoo! Oh, a cowpoke sings a riding song. Yah-hoo! When a cowpoke goes a ridin’ When a cowpoke goes a ridin’ Oh, a cowpoke sings a riding song. Yah-hoo!

Counting Tumbleweeds Ten little tumbleweeds by the corral gate. The wind wooshed two away, And then there were eight. Eight little tumbleweeds said, “Oh! Fiddlesticks!” “We may as well dance with the wind,” Then there were six. Six little tumbleweeds went out to explore. Along came a whirlwind, And then there were four. Four little tumbleweeds admiring the view. Then came a gentle breeze, So there were two. Two little tumbleweeds, Round and round they spun. Until they were out of sight, Then there were none.

Cowpokes All Dressed

Five little cowpokes get up to dress. The first one buttons up his vest. The second one wears tall boots with taps. The third one laces up her chaps. The fourth one ties a big bow tie. The fifth one tips his hat. Good-bye!

Ten Little Cowpokes Ten little cowpokes Standing in a row – When they see the foreman They bow just so – They ride to the left, and They ride to the right. And then they shut their eyes And sleep all night.

Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library® Learning to read begins before your child starts school. Help your children develop early literacy skills now; this makes it easier for children to learn to read once they begin school. Five of the best ways to help your child get ready to read are:

If you would like more information, please ask the staff in the children’s area.

Every Child Ready to Read® is a project of the Association for Library Service to Children and the Public Library Association, divisions of the American Library Association.

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