Supplies:

• For the train: (choose one)
  • Box Train: Jewelry boxes (1 long + 2 small) and a piece of color paper (5”x7”)
  • Tube Train: 3 Toilet Paper Rolls
    
• Colorful tape - OR - paint + brushes
• Gems (or stickers, glitter, etc.)
• Cotton (save the cotton fluff from the jewelry boxes!)
• Wooden dowel rods
• Thick plastic straws (i.e. a boba straw)
• Wooden wheels - 6 large wheels (Box Train) or 8 small wheels (Tube Train)
• Wooden beads - 1 for each wheel used

Plus the following general supplies:

• Containers
• Trays (one for each child)
• Rulers
• Kid Scissors
• Craft knife/Box cutter (Counselors Only!)
• Wood clippers (Counselors Only!)
• Adhesives (glue, tape, etc.)
• Markers
• String/twine
• Rubber bands
• Hole puncher (Big Kids Only!)
• Glue

Prep/ Set Up Details:

• Pre-cut all wooden dowel rods and prepare most of the wooden wheel assembly (see activity instructions)
• For each child, prep the following on a tray:
  • Train body material (boxes or paper roll)
  • Wheel materials
• Organize all shared supplies in containers (e.g., markers, gems, adhesives, etc.)
• Create a construction tape starting and finishing line on the floor to set up for a race at the end.
• Prepare a few relevant fun facts or questions to enrich the activity discussion!
  • What are some different types of trains that you know about?
  • What should you do when you see lights and hear sounds at a railroad crossing?
  • What kinds of things can trains carry?
  • What do you call the last car on a train?‍

Preparing for younger children (ages 3-6)

• Pre-cut all items
• Opt for less messy options (e.g. stickers, glue dots, etc.)
• Be extra careful with any small pieces (or eliminate them entirely)!‍

Preparing for older children (ages 7+)

• Allow them to measure, cut most things themselves
• Consider more sophisticated options (e.g. glitter, etc.)
• Inspire them to come up with a custom name for their train

Activity Instructions

Counselor(s) Prep (30 minutes before)

Doors Open (5 minutes before)

‍Gather (right on time)

• When all children are seated, welcome everyone!
• Introduce yourself and any other Counselors assisting the activity
• Give children a brief overview of what to expect and show children a completed “demo” or what the final product of this craft can look like
• Briefly review the tools they’ll be using and highlight any tools/techniques that require either (1) special care or (2) direct Counselor intervention
  • E.g. “Scissor edges can be sharp, so take care to always grab them by their handles and set them down gently every time!”
  • Or - “For help with the wooden wheel pieces, you’ll need hot glue - Counselor ABCD is here to help you with that!”

Icebreaker (5 minutes)

• We’re going to play Nice to Meet Ya!
• Instruct all children and Counselors to sit in a circle
• Go around the circle having each participant tell everyone their name and their favorite story with a train in it
• Counselors can go first to set an example for children 

Craft (25 minutes)

1. Decorate your train (paper roll or boxes) with paint or colorful tape and decorate your wheels using markers
   1. If using paint, make sure to allow time for the paint to dry before moving onto the next step 
   2. If using paper rolls:
      1. Cut one end (~1 inch) off two of your toilet paper rolls (approx 1 inch) - try using rubber bands to create even lines
         1. Cut both of those 1-inch pieces in half (into ‘C’ shaped pieces)
         2. You should now have one full sized roll, 2 medium rolls, and 4 ‘C’s
      2. Decorate each piece (if using paint, allow to dry)
      3. Glue or tape each of the small ‘C’ shaped pieces on top of the two medium rolls (these will be your cab and caboose cars!)
         
2. Assemble your wheels
   1. If using big wheels:
      1. Cut 3 pieces of the wooden rods 4 inches long (COUNSELOR ONLY)
      2. Cut 4 pieces of your boba straw 2 inches long
   2. If using small wheels:
      1. Cut 6 pieces of the wooden rods 4 inches long (COUNSELOR ONLY)
      2. Cut 7 pieces of your boba straw 1.5 inches long
   3. Make wheel axles:
      1. Place each wooden rod into one of the boba straw pieces
      2. Apply glue around the end of each piece of wooden rod and insert into the center of each wheel
      3. Apply glue on the outside center of each wheel and add a wooden bead
   4. Safety Reminder: The wood clippers and hot glue gun are recommended tools for these steps, but are never to be in the hands of children - wood clipping and hot gluing are counselor tasks. Complete the bulk of this cutting and assembly during prep.
      
3. Assemble your train
   1. Box train:
      1. Glue or tape the two small boxes together and then glue/tape them to the top of your train car
      2. Apply glue or tape to each side of the train car and attach to each edge of your 5”x7” paper, creating a curved shape on top of your train car. 
   2. Tube train:
      1. Cut 2 pieces of string 4 inches long
      2. String train cars together using glue or tape
   3. Glue the last piece of boba to the top of the train engine - create ‘smoke’ or ‘steam’ by fluffing up a piece of cotton and attaching it to the inside of the boba straw ‘smokestack’
4. Attach your wheels to your train
   1. Glue or tape each boba straw wheel axle to the bottom of each train car (start with one axle about an inch from each train car end) - use 2 axles for each tube train car and 3 axles for a box train car
      
5. Bling your train out!
   1. Use adhesives and gems (or stickers, etc.) to add sparkle and flair
      
6. Take it for a spin!

Play/ Perform (10 minutes)

• Show children the construction tape racetrack/ finish-line and, in pairs, have them race their new trains to the finish line.
• For older kids, consider a tournament, with the winning train earning a special platinum star sticker (and all other trains earning a gold star sticker)

Wrap-Up/ Goodbyes (5 minutes)

‍Reset/ Cleanup (After - 10 minutes)