Materials
Close-up photo of each child's face
Copy machine
8 1/2 " x 11" (21 cm x 27 cm) pieces of tag board
Glue
Variety of wrapping paper (ask each parent to send in a sheet)
Lamination machine, optional
Scissors
Zipper closure plastic bags
Instructions
1. Read a story to the children about riding on a train. Good choices are The
Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg or a Thomas the Train Book.
2. Explain to the children that they are going to make their own trains, plan a
trip to anywhere, pack their bags, make their tickets, and go!
3. Give each child a cardboard box. Encourage the children to design their own
railroad car using the materials listed above.
4. Encourage the children to work together to plan where to go using maps, an
atlas, or an Amtrak travel planner.
5. Ask the children to pack some items (real or imagined) to take on the trip.
Remind them to think about what they will need when they get there (for
example, sunglasses and sun screen if they go to Florida). Discuss things to do
when they get there.
6. The children can take turns being the train engineer and conductor. The engineer
wears an engineer's hat (this can be made out of paper) and rides in the
front box. The conductor can look at a watch, blow a whistle when it is time
to go, collect tickets, and use a hole punch to punch each ticket.
More to do
Read the children a book about the circus. Make the train a circus train that
carries animals. Instead of going on a "train" ride, go on a "plane" or "boat" ride.
