Train Station

Take an excursion out to the nearest train station or find a pretend train to take a ride on at your local mall or shopping center. Some nice children’s museums might have a fun option, too!

Paper Train Craft

Supplies:
Printer
A piece of paper
Some crayons (or paint or markers)
Scissors
Glue
I always prefer to use a heavy paper (like construction paper), but it isn't necessary. Optional materials include a cotton ball, photos or magazine clippings of children or toys, and spaghetti or linguini.

Directions:
-Print out the template of choice. If using the black and white template, try printing it on colored construction paper.
-Color (where appropriate) and cut out the template pieces. Adults may need to help with the cutting.
-Glue the face onto the front of the train.
-Glue the smokestack onto the top. You can glue a bit of cotton ball to the smokestack as pretend smoke. If you want to make it a bit more environmentally realistic, you can color the cotton grey or black with marker or paint.
-Glue the wheels onto the bottom of the train.
-You can stop here with TEMPLATE #1 or print template #2 as well.
-Glue the car and caboose from template #2 onto the back of the train. Explain that the caboose of the train is always the last (the caboose is on the top of the page on template 2. The car is on the bottom).
-You can cut out magazine pictures of toys or children, a picture from a coloring book, or a small photo of the child and glue them into the car or onto the back of the caboose.
-Really young kids may have an easier time attaching the cars, cotton balls, etc. if they glue everything to a background piece of paper (they also have the opportunity to color in a sky, grass, clouds etc. this way). This also allows you to use uncooked pieces of spaghetti or linguini, glued underneath of the train's wheels, to represent train tracks.

TEMPLATE #1

TEMPLATE #2

Candy Train

Supplies:

• Low temp hot glue gun
• Ribbons or yarn for hanging
• 1 roll of Life Savers (cylinder about 3 1/2" long)
• 1 small package of gum (3" x 3/4" x 3/8")
• 4 round wrapped candies (try peppermints)
• 1 Hershey's Kiss (this is by far the best shape)
• 1 large rectangular caramel-like candy
• 1 mini chocolate bar (1 1/2" x 1" x 3/8")

Directions:

1. Glue the Life Savers roll to the gum package, letting the Life Saver roll stick over at both ends.
   Glue the peppermints to the lower sides for wheels.
2. Push the caramel onto the Life Saver body to make the cab of the engine to help it adhere better. Glue in place.
3. Cut the paper off the top of the Hershey's Kiss, then flatten the point a bit by pushing it against the table. Put a good sized blob of hot glue on the tip, and then adhere it to the Life Saver roll as shown.
4. Glue the little chocolate bar on top of the cab for the roof.

Tips:

You can substitute a rectangular candy for the Life Savers. Jolly Ranchers work, and so does a set of Starburst candies glued together.

If you want to make some cars for the train, simply use rectangular candies in various combinations with four round wheels.

When looking for candies, think about shape. Go to your local store and look for rectangles, circles, shiny wrappings, etc. You can find small packages of gum in a large multi-pack of gum. You can also remove the gum sticks from the package and glue them together to create a smaller sized gum pack.

Try incorporating this tip in your craft: Using Nerd candies as the train's "coal" in a coal car.

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo Train Craft

Supplies:
Colored construction paper
Scissors
Tape
Glue
Cotton balls
Crayons
Pen or pencil to trace your arm and hand

Directions:

1. To begin take two pieces of colored construction and tape them together end to end to create a background for your train.
2. Next take another piece of colored construction paper and trace your hand and your arm. Make sure when you trace your hand you keep your thumb flush with your palm.
3. Now take another piece of colored construction paper and trace the rest of your arm.
4. Now cut out your hand print and square off the palm. This will become the train's engine and lead your train down the track.
5. Next take your arm tracings and cut them out and them cut them into train car sections.
6. Now arrange the train and train cars in a row on the background piece of paper. Glue or tape them in place.
7. Next cut out a smoke stack and many wheels for your train. Glue them in place.
8. Now you are ready to decorate your train. Add colors with your crayons, puffs of smoke with your cotton balls, windows with pieces of paper, and more! Have Fun Heading Down the Track!

Week 10

Week 10: Trains

*Suggested Reading*

Trains By Anne Rockwell

The Little Red Caboose by Potter Marian

Train Song by Harriet Ziefert

Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo By Kevin Lewis

Terrific Trains by Tony Mitton

Items needed this week:

Printer

Piece of paper

Crayons (or paint or markers)

Scissors

Glue

Colored construction paper

Tape

Cotton balls

Pen or pencil to trace your arm and hand

Snack Suggestion: Trains

Ingredients:

Soda or Club Crackers

Peanut Butter

Cheerios

Various snacks (cheese, pretzel sticks. carrots, goldfish crackers. marshmallows, etc.)

Directions:

Use the cracker to make the train cars, the cheerios for the wheels, and the other items for the cargo for the train. For example: They could have one cracker and have a flat car and stack it full of pretzel sticks for logs.