Preparing activities for trains week came very easily to me. So many things to do with such a wide topic. Here is thus the last post on the matter...
Steamies versus Diesels Sorting
By far the easiest activity for my son who seems to know quite a lot about trains...
Living versus non-living
Enough said... :)
Train building
This activity was a tough one for both *gulp* me and Adrian. He had to move the pieces around quite a bit before it looked right. I printed the "master" from and then traced it on construction paper, cut it up and tried to do it myself. It took me a few tries and it took as many times for Adrian.
Decorating a tunnel
Simple art project to do with a box covered in white paper. I actually intended on having him use several mediums but he only wanted to use the Thomas & Friends stamps. I had also put out markers, crayons and fingerpaint though. Stickers would have worked well too but we were all out of Thomas and Friends stickers. (Wonder who used them all?) :) A tip...Get a sturdy and thick box. Adrian was getting a bit agitated sometimes because the stamps wouldn't "work right". When boxes are too supple, it doesn't print well. My bad!
How many puffs of smoke?
A lovely activity that was well enjoyed. I put out a bowl of cotton balls and a few engines. I also provided enough die for each engine. Adrian would then roll a die, put it under the engine and put the right amount of smoke puffs above the train. How cute is that?
"Coal" Transfer
For our steamies, coal is needed. As such, it was Adrian's job to put the "coal" (black/grey beads) in the "boiler" (small bowl) with some tongs (because well, coal is hot!). He did well despite the fact that the beads were slightly slippery and the "boiler" quite small.
Melissa & Doug Alphabet Floor Puzzle in the form of a train
How many wheels
Harold and Captain (part of the Thomas & Friends collection), need wheels I told my son. He then rolled the die and determined how many pasta wheels to give each vehicle.
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Today, I'm happily linking up to
Living Montessori Now, B-Inspired Mama, I can Teach my Child, No Time for Flashcards, and 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
More brilliance -- the cotton ball steam puff activity is really, really cool. I just posted about our cotton ball snow for our train layouts (along with a whole bunch of other snow ideas for train play -- http://play-trains.com/snow-train-play/), so it's fun to see the cotton balls used in a completely different way with trains. We'll definitely be doing that one!
ReplyDeleteWe've been making cardboard box tunnels lately, too...so much fun.
I'm glad we can share ideas. I'll be checking out your page as well. Although our train week is finished, there's always time for play and train play is an everyday thing here so we could use some ideas! :)
DeleteI love that homemade train and cotton ball counting :) So fun!!
ReplyDeleteIt really all was simple to do yet so much fun. Learning can and should be fun. That week definitely was all that!
DeleteThanks so much for sharing your ideas! They are fabulous! We just did our transportation unit, but I'll definitely have to remember them for next time. I love your living vs. nonliving component.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the unit. It's a classic so I tried to give it a little twist! :) I'm sure we'll re-visit this unit next year by adding to it as well so come back and see us for more ideas!
DeleteThis is a great post! Loved your train activities!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear it. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know! :)
DeleteThanks for the great ideas! I have 3 boys - I'm sure we'll use some of your ideas. I saw you at the TGIF linky.
ReplyDeleteHappy you stopped by. Use as many ideas as you'd like. Trains are always popular and so useful for learning.
DeleteSuch fun ideas! My little guy would love these! Visiting from TGIF!
ReplyDeleteMe and Marie Learning
Hi Ashley! Thank you for dropping by! Trains are so much fun! I'm glad your boy likes them too! So many activities to with them!
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