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Snow Trains: Seven Ideas for Bringing Snow into Train Play

February 17, 2013 By Jessica Petersen 10 Comments

We haven’t gotten any snow yet this year, much to the Little Engineer’s disappointment.  But that hasn’t stopped us from playing trains in the snow all winter.

We’ve combined snow and trains in our play off and on through every season.  It’s always a popular element.  It taps into one of the things that’s so great about playing with trains:  their main purpose is being — to borrow an over-used phrase from Sir Topham and his engines — “really useful”.  Not going fast, as fun as it is.  Doing practical, helpful work.

Snow Trains: Seven Ideas for Bringing Snow into Train Play from Play Trains!

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The easiest way to play this out with toy trains is to have them deliver passengers and freight to their destinations, but plowing snow off of the tracks is a very different way of giving an engine a purpose.  In addition, there are different sensory experiences that come with some the different kinds of “snow” I suggest below.  I especially like that you can bring the idea of making the tracks safe for other engines into the story, drawing on another thing I love about playing with anthropomorphic engines in particular:  the opportunity to develop empathy and other social skills.

So, with that in mind, here are some of our favorite ways to play with snow and trains.

1.  Take Trains out in Real Snow

Okay, so this is maybe a no-brainer.  But it was really fun.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

While we haven’t gotten snow this year, we did get snow last January.  That was the start of all our other explorations of playing with snow and trains indoors.

We happened to have acquired a Take ‘n’ Play Thomas with a snow plow second-hand, so as soon as we saw the inches accumulating, we wanted to take him out and see if he really could clear the tracks.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

Not bad!  Now, the snow plow didn’t really help that much, so any Take ‘n’ Play engine would do.  I would stick with diecast metal trains, though, or plastic trains with no electronics.  The snow would be hard on the wood in wooden trains and the electronics in plastic motorized trains.  Just make sure you dry the trains off as soon as you’re done playing, and leave them somewhere where they can finish air drying without sitting in a puddle of melted snow, to avoid rust.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

The Little Engineer carried Thomas around the backyard for a long time, occasionally trying to plow snow, but mostly enjoying the magic together.

 

2. Build a Snow Engineer

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

The Little Engineer’s first snowman was, appropriately, a Snow Engineer.  We happened to have an extra engineer’s hat lying around, and ta-da!  Ready to drive the Polar Express.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

The Little Engineer also enjoyed pretending the snow was coal, shoveling it into a snowy firebox.

 

3. Cotton Ball Snow

Right around the time we had that one and only good snow last year, No Time for Flashcards had this great Winter Train Table Sensory Play idea:  cotton ball snow.

So of course I went out and got two bags of cotton balls.  In the original post, the kids had used their snow as freight, among other things, but we decided we wanted to recreate our experience of plowing the real snow outside.  This involved lining up cotton balls on the tracks as fast as I could before the Little Engineer drove Thomas along behind me, sending the snow flying over the edges.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

This is a huge amount of fun, as long as someone is willing to keep resetting the snow!  We have a Winter Wonderland Thomas (from the Adventures of Thomas set) with a snow plow, so he got to do most of the plowing.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

I kept the cotton balls available all year, and any time the Little Engineer came across them, he would dump them out here and there around the current layout and make it snow on the Island of Sodor, then ask me to put the snow on the tracks.  When December rolled around, though, I made a more intentional snowy Christmas layout on his tiny train table and covered everything with snow while he slept.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

We also used cotton ball snow for the aftermath of the big snowstorm in our Valentine’s Day in Vicarstown layout.  My Christmas present from the Little Engineer was a Winter Wonderland Percy my husband ordered off of eBay, adding more plowing fun to our collection.

 

4. Insta-snow

This was my husband’s big contribution to our snow train play.  When the Little Engineer started getting interested in “SCIENCE!!!” last summer, as he says it, my husband started looking around at different fun science things to do with a toddler.  By far, the most exciting thing he found was Insta-snow.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

Similar to the absorbant gel inside a disposable diaper, Insta-snow expands (and expands) when you add water.  It turns into a fluffy, snow-like substance that’s really fun to play with and touch.  We were all enthralled.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

Despite the moisture, the Insta-snow was okay for playing with our wooden trains, as long as you’re very, very careful not to leave them sitting in it.  After you’re finished playing, brush as much of the “snow” off of the trains as you can.  Some will stick to them, but once it dries, it’s easy to brush off again.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

However, I would recommend against using wooden track in the Insta-snow, due to the fact that it’s unfinished.  Plastic track from both the Take ‘n’ Play and Trackmaster lines works with the wheel gauge of the wooden trains and won’t be harmed by the moisture.

 

5. Poor Engine

When we first started playing with the cotton ball snow, the Little Engineer’s favorite thing to do besides plowing was to ask me to make “Poor Toby”.

Thomas Gets a Snowplow @ Play Trains!  Playing the book on a wooden train layout my preschooler and I planned after reading it.  Lots of opportunities to discuss the different elements of a story and how to bring them to life.

“Poor Toby” was Toby buried under a mound of snow, as happens in the book, Thomas Gets a Snowplow.  (Update:  come see the cool layout the Little Engineer helped me plan and build based on Thomas Gets a Snowplow.)  It was always Thomas’ job to go rescue him.

I really enjoyed singing, “Toooooby, oh Tooooooby, what would become of yooooouuu…” (found on Thomas’ Songs & Roundhouse Rhythms) every time we made “Poor Toby.”  I believe the lyrics to that song are where the Little Engineer got the phrase “poor Toby” from, misremembering or adapting “dear Toby” to his new game.

As I remember, “Poor Salty” was another favorite game at the time.  And then when we got the Insta-snow, “Poor Thomas” was fun, too.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

 

 

6. Snowy Scenery

Years back, I got the prettiest iridescent wrapping paper at Ikea, in both white and a beautiful blue-green.  I loved it so much I bought several rolls.  The only problem was that Scotch tape wouldn’t stick to it properly, so all my presents came unwrapped.  Which made it pretty useless as wrapping paper, but I kept it all these years because it’s so pretty.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

Guess what?  I makes beautiful snow and water for train layouts!

Oh, it’s so pretty in person.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

To piece it together to make the large Valentine’s Day in Vicarstown layout on the floor, I used loops of residue-free duct tape to stick it to the floor (the same stuff I used in Damage-Free Decorating for Wooden Train Layouts) and loops of painter’s tape to stick it to the other pieces of paper.

I have to say, though, that I would mostly recommend the paper for train tables (no tape needed), and not for the floor.  It was kind of a pain to adjust the tape loops underneath as the paper shifted around while I built the tracks on top of it.  It has, however, mostly stayed in place in the weeks since, but it was a lot easier to deal with when I put it on the train table.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

I used the blue-green paper to make the sea on the big layout, and a pond on the little train table.  These figures from a set of Playmobil toys I got in an advent calendar years ago made it a small, peaceful nature area for the trains to chuff around.

My replacement for the wrapping paper is a large three-yard piece of sparkly white felt.  It’s hard to see in photos, especially the sparkles, but it does give a nice natural look, didn’t need to be taped down, and it moved around less than the wrapping paper while I was putting the layout together.

Thomas Gets a Snowplow @ Play Trains!  Playing the book on a wooden train layout my preschooler and I planned after reading it.  Lots of opportunities to discuss the different elements of a story and how to bring them to life.

The problem with the felt was I had to double it up so that my black rug didn’t show through.  That and it’s not the pretty, iridescent wrapping paper.  But the durability does kind of make up for that.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

A trick I discovered in my quest to make everything snowy was to unroll cotton balls and gently pull them flat to make snow on the tops of buildings.  And I was really excited to find that snowman in the same Playmobil advent calendar I mentioned above.

You also may have noticed the white trees in the background of our various snow layouts.  They’re Christmas decorations from Ikea, and they light up…very fun for playing Night Train!

 

7. Tiny Pompom Snowballs

When I brought these tiny white pompoms home to be snowball freight for the engines to pull, I didn’t realize that our Brio people would be able to hold them in their hands.  That was an exciting discovery!  It took a little fiddling to figure out how to slip a snowball into their grips so that it stays, but once I got one in there, it was the perfect size.

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

I showed this to the Little Engineer, and told him that the engines could deliver the snowballs to the children (the usual vague children of Sodor, that is) for their annual snowball fight.  The Little Engineer had a better idea:  the children and the engine drivers should have a snowball fight together!

Snow Trains: seven ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play) @ Play Trains

Cotton balls made great snow forts for the drivers and children to hide behind, too.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our look at ideas for bringing snow to train play (and trains to snow play)!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: outside, snow, train set scenery, winter, wooden trains

« Organizing Wooden Trains and Track — The Play Trains! Ultimate Wooden Train Guide
Assembling and Painting Wooden Trains with My Toddler »

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    February 18, 2013 at 4:09 am

    What a list of great ideas, my youngest is in LOVE with trains especially Thomas! I will have to try some of your great ideas with him, and I will be pinning. I am a new follower of your blog, wishing you a wonderful week!!

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      February 20, 2013 at 6:22 am

      A wonderful week to you, too! I hope your son enjoys the snow! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Valerie says

    February 18, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    Jessica…I love the cotton balls on the train table for pretend snow. Our train table always looks the same. I mean, we do make new layouts and add new buildings every so often but other than that, nothing exciting. This should really spike things up. Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      February 20, 2013 at 6:23 am

      I really enjoy switching things up with the trains. It helps keep them fresh for sure! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    February 21, 2013 at 4:42 am

    WOW! I am amazed at the devotion you have to trains for your son. I cannot believe the variety and on your blog of nothing but trains! I am impressed with what you’ve done to keep train play interesting and new.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      February 22, 2013 at 1:56 am

      Thanks! I’ve had a lot of time to think of train stuff at this point…going on two years this spring since the obsession started. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kristi@Creative Connections for Kids says

    February 23, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Perfect fo 12 inches of snow we received this week! Kristi

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      February 24, 2013 at 5:09 am

      Fantastic! Mind sending about 2.5 inches our way? 🙂

      Reply
  5. chelle says

    February 23, 2013 at 7:01 pm

    This is TOTALLY AWESOME!!! SO cute!! Love the lil’ snowballs in the hands!…I am totally slacking at the creative opportunities with our train table!! You’ve got me thinking……

    Thanks for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      February 24, 2013 at 5:10 am

      Aren’t those snowballs the coolest? I was so excited by that. It’s too bad the little guys can’t actually throw them, but they sure look cute. Glad to hear I have you thinking!

      Reply

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Jessica Petersen, author of Old Tracks, New Tricks
Hi, I'm Jessica! We're so happy you've climbed aboard the Play Trains! express. Next stop: a trainload of fun and learning for your little engineer!

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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.

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