Growing up, trains went right through my hometown of Sand Lake, Michigan. We got to see trains all the time, and as a kid, I was always really excited to get to watch the trains and hear their whistle blow as they went through town. I loved seeing the engine and the caboose and counting all the cars. Sometimes you could tell what was in the freight cars, but often I got to make up the story of the train on my own.
I passed my love of trains on to my oldest daughter. She went through a pretty long train stage. It didn’t hurt that my husband’s grandfather worked in a train yard in Pittsburgh – my father-in-law loved to gift train sets to our daughter and would have continued had she not outgrown the interest and relegated Thomas and friends to our basement storage area.
So, when it was time to make a train craft, I knew I needed to make it extra special. I think by using a variety of materials, we end up with a more sophisticated finished product. Of course I have a TR Track Race Game ready for you to enjoy during the making of these crafts this week – there is paint that needs to dry, after all. More about that later in this post.
Supply List
- 2 cardboard tubes
- 1 cup from an egg carton
- Blue paper – or whatever color paper you like for a train
- Black paper
- Large cotton ball
- Red paint
- Paint brush, cup, apron, and table covering (I used a paper plate for this one)
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Glue
- Hot Glue Gun
Step-by-Step Directions
The first thing you need to do is trim your egg cup. For the egg cup, you just want to make it even most of the way around – there can be one spot where it dips, I think that gives it character, but try to make the rest smooth.
You also need to trim one of your cardboard tubes to be about half as tall and to have a rounded cut out at the bottom where it will attach to your other tube. I fold the tube in half at the bottom and then cut it in half with in an arch shape. You want the part that fits to the rounded edge of the other tube.
After the egg cup and cardboard tube are cut, you need to paint them red. The egg cup doesn’t need to be painted on the bottom or in the middle of the inside. The cardboard tube doesn’t need to be painted on the inside, but you can do the inside at the top if you so desire.
After setting the painted pieces aside to dry, it is time to do some cutting. The first step is to trim your blue paper to the width of your tube.
Then you can staple one end of the paper to the tube, roll it around the tube, and then staple the other end.
Next, you need to cut out black wheels. I like to fold my paper in half so I can cut a set of wheels at a time. I cut a set that is bigger for the back wheels and a set that is smaller for the front wheels.
At this point, you can glue the wheels on. I like to make them even with the bottom of the tube so it sits nicely. You will want to make sure that the staples are at the bottom or they will be in the way when you glue things on the top.
At this point it is time to hot glue the rest of the dry pieces on. The rounded cut out part should sit nicely on the top of the tube and the egg cup attaches easily in front of it.
The last touch to add is the cotton “steam.” I unroll my cotton ball and then hot glue it into the egg cup. You probably won’t need all of the cotton – just use the amount you feel good about.
And there you have it! A super cute train craft that you can actually use for quite a bit of pretend play.
As I say every week, my goal with this blog is to make sure that people leave each of my posts feeling equipped to practice articulation or phonics with their learner. So, I always have a game from my Teachers Pay Teachers store (Autumn Emigh Creative Communication Solutions) on special sale for you. This week, it is a game called “Track Race” The product includes instructions with a link to a digital Google Slides game. You also receive printable game boards in color and black and white and a spinner to use for the color and digital game boards. The digital and printable versions of the game contain the same 12 initial TR blend words for your learner to practice. Get it until August 2nd for half price – just $1.00!
Just click on the photo above or HERE to get your copy today! And be sure to fill out the form below to get on my email list. Not only are my email subscribers the first to know when each of my blog posts goes live, they also get information about products, events, and summits each week. I’ll always do my best to make it worthwhile for you to stick around, but it is super easy to unsubscribe if you ever wish to.
That’s it for this week. I hope you get to see some trains this week – but don’t get stopped at a crossing for a long time. I will be back next week with a Plastic Spoon Flying Eagle craft and a Feed the Eagle game.
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