by Leneah Willis

Created on: December 24, 2009

Choo Choo! Making a train craft with your child is easy and extremely fun! They can play with it once you finish the train, and you are showing them how to make a craft with recycled materials. So here are the steps to take to create a train and the caboose.

Step 1. Gathering materials.

Any retangle boxes you have laying around your house with work for your base of the train and the caboose. A long tissue box works perfect for this. You will need at least two boxes. Also needed is some extra scrap cardboard. Gather a prigles can, paints, scissors and a few pieces of yarn. Do not forget any kind of tape as well. (Or any kind of material that your child might want to decorate the outside of the train with.) 

Step 2. Outside the box.

Let your child paint and decorate the outside of all the boxes. Let them dry so you do not make more of a mess.

Step 3. Connect the pieces.

Cut your pringles can to the right size for a smoke stack. Use the rest of the can for the front of the light. If you use the top of the can you can add the clear lid for a cool effect. Take your tape and place the can pieces on the box. You can paint again if you like so the tape does not show. Next is to connect both the boxes together. Take your yarn and cut a hole in each box. One on the bottom of the back of the train and one on the bottom of the front of the other box, becoming your caboose. You can do this for as many boxes you have. Weave your yarn through the hole and tie a knot in the yard so the yarn does not slide out of the hole. Take your scape cardboard cut it into the shape of an long triangle, and cut slits in it to make the front of the train. tape this piece on. Next is to take more scrape cardboard and cut four circles for the wheels. You can connect the wheels on each side by another piece of scrape cardboard. Just make rails that match the wheels.

Step 4. Let the fun begin.

Once your train has dried your child will have hours of fun wih their own hand-made train and caboose.

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