A tiny light box needs a tiny train set to go with it, right? Once I came up with a way to make our own mini light box, I was on a mission to find trains that would work with light boxes or light tables. Especially small ones, given that was what we had. I came up with this tiny, translucent train ...
DIY Wooden Toy Castles for Trains — Thomas & Friends King of the Railway
These DIY wooden toy castles look fantastic with our wooden train tracks, but they were so easy -- and inexpensive! -- to make. This is a fun project to do with a child, teaching them about measurement along the way, or to give as a gift to round out a train collection with a unique piece. And ...
Squirrel Train Small World — Fall Invitations to Play
Our third Fall Invitation to Play in the series is a squirrel train small world sure to delight any child who loves both woodland animals and trains! The Little Engineer was so excited to play Squirrel Train, and it turned into a creative, relaxing play experience for both of us. Make sure to ...
Play Dough Pumpkin Patch Train — Fall Invitations to Play
I'm very excited to be part of a series of Fall Invitations to Play this week. Along with four of my blogger friends -- Ann from My Nearest and Dearest, Stephanie from Twodaloo, Shaunna from Fantastic Fun and Learning, and Chelsey from Buggy and Buddy -- we'll be sharing five ways to invite kids to ...
Two Color Oil and Water Discovery Bottles
These vibrant oil and water discovery bottles contain no lamp oil, using all edible ingredients. This makes them a safe science activity for preschoolers to make on their own! We found some fun train-related things to include in our bottle, but you could make them with any (or no) theme in ...
Floating Word Discovery Bottles
I have two fun ideas for discovery bottles to share with you this week. This first one sprang out of the current theme at our house: words, words, words! Writing them. Reading them. Memorizing them. Making them up. Writing them some more. It's fascinating to watch -- well, except for when I'm wiping ...
DIY Mini Lightsabers — Star Wars Kids’ Craft
We've given our trains the day off to share another one of our favorite things to play with: DIY mini lightsabers that light up! It's so fun to swish these around in a darkened room, making VWOOOM, VWOOOM sounds. And they're the perfect size for stuffed animal movie reenactments. This kids' craft is ...
DIY Troublesome Truck Face Stickers for Wooden Trains
So easy to make, these DIY face stickers for Troublesome Trucks are a great way to add some personality to a child's wooden trains. ...
Famous and Fictional Train Engineer Cards
The idea for this activity came out of nowhere one Saturday morning. I don't remember exactly what we were playing -- something about Casey Jones or another real-life train engineer, no doubt -- but I remember looking at the Little Engineer and saying, "Wouldn't it be cool if someone made trading ...
Toy Train Freight from Nature: Late Summer
Warm breezes, blue skies, and -- most importantly -- dry ground: there's no better time to take toy trains outside to play in Seattle than the second half of summer. It's also the best time of year for incorporating objects from nature into train play. There's an abundance of things growing that can ...
Sticker Train Craft for Kids
Ever since the Little Engineer was a toddler, I've been obsessed with collecting different sizes, shapes, and colors of color coding stickers to use for art and craft projects. Not just for him -- I enjoy making pictures with them, too! I love how being limited to a few simple shapes brings out ...
DIY Zoo Train Set for Wooden Trains
The Little Engineer has always loved having animal passengers for his trains, so it's no surprise that we jumped at the chance to make a zoo for his wooden trains as soon as we had the idea! This is by far our most ambitious DIY wooden train set project yet, but it was well worth the investment of a ...
Portable Small World: Pretend Model Train Set
Safari Ltd. generously provided us with a Train Toob to try out. No positive review was required and all my opinions and observations are, as always, my own. When Safari Ltd. offered to send us a Train Toob, the Little Engineer was so excited I knew I had to do something special with it. I had ...
Waterproof Play Pictures: Flower Train
When I made these laminated train pieces, I wasn't planning to incorporate them in water play. But now that we've happened upon that use for them, I can't wait to make more! These waterproof play pictures are great for both bath time and all kinds of water or messy play. Next time, though, I'm ...
Summer Fun for Kids: Pool Noodle Train Tracks
The sunshine that keeps breaking through our familiar Seattle clouds has been putting thoughts of summer fun in my head. At the same time, the lure of playing wooden trains is hard for the Little Engineer to resist. We often take the trains outside and play with them on a picnic mat in the ...
DIY Board Book: Angry Bird Train, a Kid’s Favorite Things Mash-up
The Little Engineer and I started making books together at about the same time he began speaking in sentences. Sometimes I write down a particularly popular bedtime story I've come up with (usually with his help, because he likes to take over the story!). But I especially love to help him write ...
Pipe Cleaner Trees for Wooden Train Layouts
Trees are a classic component of wooden toy train sets. But as much as I love the cute little wooden trees we've collected, most of them are barely three-dimensional, just a simplified outline of a tree given enough depth to stand up. Generally painted a single shade of green, there's no texture ...
Exploring the Art of Steam Train, Dream Train (Part 2)
After we did this train art project, the Little Engineer and I were sitting in Snuffleupagus, our mammoth Japanese lace leaf maple tree. He just discovered this quiet, secret world this spring, and I'm grateful he invites me in with him to sit on the twisted, sturdy branches. Surrounded by ...
Exploring the Art of Steam Train, Dream Train (Part 1)
While searching for train books on Amazon for the eight-hundred-and-seventy-sixth time, I spotted Steam Train, Dream Train. Just from the thumbnail, I was drawn in by the cover art. When I clicked to take a closer look, I knew why. It turned out Steam Train, Dream Train is the new book by ...
Dryer Sheet Box Engine Shed (Wooden Train Kids’ Craft)
When I'm asked for advice on beginning a wooden train collection, one of my first recommendations is an engine shed. From the earliest days of his train obsession, the Little Engineer has always loved sheds and roundhouses. The appeal is easy to understand. In addition to the easy-to-relate-to ...
Light Play: Glow Tracks and Angry Bird “Costumes”
While life with a three-year-old can be unpredictable, there are a few reactions I can count on when it comes to the Little Engineer. One of those constants is that if he finds a collection of long, straight objects, he will build railroad tracks. I spotted these glow necklaces on clearance at ...
Hi, I'm Jessica! While playing trains for the last several years, my Little Engineer and I have had a lot of fun and learned so much together. I'm excited to share our discoveries with other people who have kids who love trains in their lives.