TRAIN
theme
Resources Classroom Literacy/Little Train that Could
Circus Train Math Songs/Chants Art Activities
Food/Snacks
RESOURCES
Classroom
LITERACY
The Little Engine that
Could is an
illustrated children's book
that was first published in the United States in 1930 by Platt &
Munk. The story is used to
teach children the value of optimism and hard work.
Based on a 2007 online poll, the National
Education Association named the book
one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EhpqcXoxGI
·
A,) The story of the Engine that Thought It Could. Published
in theNew
York Tribune on April 8, 1906 ...The
Little Engine That Could - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnNVn5bPUXU
·
The original
short film of a little engine wishing to pull a train of her own and a bunch
of toys trying to be ...
·
Amazing
Steam Locomotive
From this 3:18 YouTube video, students can get a sense of how hard an engine works to pull the cars.
From this 3:18 YouTube video, students can get a sense of how hard an engine works to pull the cars.
·
Here
Comes the Train!
Students use musical/rhythmic intelligence in a post-reading activity (The Little Engine that Could).
Students use musical/rhythmic intelligence in a post-reading activity (The Little Engine that Could).
·
The Little Engine that Could
This series of 5 lessons includes discussion questions, craft activities, companion stories, and word family rhymes. Scroll down for cross-curricular connections.
This series of 5 lessons includes discussion questions, craft activities, companion stories, and word family rhymes. Scroll down for cross-curricular connections.
·
Train
Concepts: fast and slow
Students read The Little Engine that Could and learn the concepts "fast" and "slow."
Students read The Little Engine that Could and learn the concepts "fast" and "slow."
·
The Little Engine that Could
Tips for using this story with students who have autism. This 2-page document requires a word processor for access.
Tips for using this story with students who have autism. This 2-page document requires a word processor for access.
·
CIRCUS TRAIN
We made a circus train
to decorate our classroom wall. Each child made one train car, then the cars
were joined to form a long train. Begin by getting clean, *unused* Styrofoam
meat trays from your grocer. Most will donate these. Next, have each child cut
a wild animal picture from a magazine and glue it onto the tray. Cut small
slits along the top and bottom of the tray, and provide the children with
pieces of yarn. These can be stretch from top to bottom on the tray and will
stay in place when the ends are tucked into the slits. These are your cage
"bars". Add construction paper wheels to each train car and combine
with a paper engine and caboose for a great wall display! On our train, I also
added several passenger cars with photos of the children in clown make-up
pasted into the windows!
Just
Clowning Around
Have each
child lay down of a piece of butcher paper and trace around them with a marker.
Draw a clown suit on them by adding three vertical circles on their
chest, ruffles around their neck, ruffles around their arms and feet, and a
clown hat on their head. Next, let the children decorate their
"clown suits" with markers, crayons, pom-poms, rick-rack, etc. When
each child's "clown" is finished, cut them out and hang them around
the room.
Circus trains
Need: Ziplock bags,
permanent markers, animal cookies, constructions paper
Directions: Give
each child a ziplock bag and let them draw stripes with permanent markers onto the bags. Let them glue 2
circles for wheels on the bottom. Then they can put animal cookies in their bags. Zip em up and hang
them on your door or wall
like a train and they can grab their bags as they go home!
like a train and they can grab their bags as they go home!
MATH
Train Roll and Color Addition
Train Roll and Color
Train Number Dot to Dot Pages
Train Color by Number
Train Identify and Stamp Number Words
Train Dice Addition
Train Domino Addition
Train Patterning Activities
Train Ordinal Number Felt Board
Time Clothespin Clip Cards
Train Number Assessments
Time Flip Book
Count By Tens Train Stamp
ART/CRAFTS
Craft: Construction Paper Shape Trains. Make the following construction paper shapes
available to each child: a large circle or square (for
front of train), a large rectangle(for train body), a small rectangle (for
smokestack), two medium circles (for
wheels), and a long skinny rectangle (to
connect the wheels). Let the kiddos assemble the train with
glue sticks and color it with markers. Review the shapes as you
assemble. Also compare the circles and rectangles using words like bigger
and smaller.
Train
Cars:
Give each child a small rectangle shape to decorate as they wish. Ie with crayons, markers, paint, glitter, string etc. After each child is done, add two wheels and display the papers as if each were a box car on a train, add an engine and caboose.
Give each child a small rectangle shape to decorate as they wish. Ie with crayons, markers, paint, glitter, string etc. After each child is done, add two wheels and display the papers as if each were a box car on a train, add an engine and caboose.
Train
Whistles:
Supply each child with an empty plastic soda bottle. Invite the children to decorate the bottle however they wish. With stickers or glue on paper etc. To make the whistle sound, blow across the bottle's opening. Have the children blow all at once and pretend to be a train.
Supply each child with an empty plastic soda bottle. Invite the children to decorate the bottle however they wish. With stickers or glue on paper etc. To make the whistle sound, blow across the bottle's opening. Have the children blow all at once and pretend to be a train.
Train
Shapes
Supply the children with many different shapes. Show them how to make a train from their shapes.
Supply the children with many different shapes. Show them how to make a train from their shapes.
Train
Whistle
What You Need:
§
Toilet Paper Tubes
§
Wax Paper
§
Rubber Band
§
Paint
What You Do:
§
They simply decorate a
toilet paper tube with paint. Then you punch a hole about a half-inch down the
tube. Finally put a circle of wax paper over one end secure it with a rubber
band. Now your children can pretend to be a train and make whisle like noises
(sounds more like a kazoo)
Shape
Train
What You Need:
§
Paper
§
Paste
§
Paint
What You Do:
§
Have your children cut two
circles, one triangle, one large square, and one rectangle from the paper. They
can then add the circles to the bottom of the square and the rectangle standing
up on top of the square and the triangle pointy end to the square. Then let
your children paint their train. This makes a cute train and lets your children
see how different shapes can go together to form a unique shape.
Train
Wheel Spools
I
have used spools with my class to make train wheel prints. Just dip ends in
paint and stamp on paper.
Stop
Sign
What You Need:
§
Wax Crayons
§
Paper
§
Tempera Paint
What You Do:
§
You can cut a small paper
plate into a stop sign and write the word stop with a wax crayon,dilute red
tempera with water and have children paint their sign to see the magic word
appear. next let them experiment with the wax crayons and paint making whatever
marks they choose.
STORY
Story: The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. Who helped the toy
train? Why was it hard? What do you do that is hard? Chant,
“I think I can, I think I can!”
SONGS/CHANTS
Engine, engine Number Nine,
Running on Chicago Line.
If she's polished how she'll shine,
Engine, engine Number Nine.
Running on Chicago Line.
If she's polished how she'll shine,
Engine, engine Number Nine.
Choo- Choo Train...
This is a choo-choo train, (Bend arms at elbows)
Puffing down the track. (Rotate forearms in rhythm)
Now it's going forward, (Push arms forward, continue motion)
Now is going back. (Pull arms back using same motion)
Now the bell is ringing. (Pull cord with closed fist)
Now the whistle blows. (Hold fist near mouth and blow Toot, Toot)
What alot of noise it makes. (Cover ears with hands)
Everywhere it goes. (Stretch out arms)
This is a choo-choo train, (Bend arms at elbows)
Puffing down the track. (Rotate forearms in rhythm)
Now it's going forward, (Push arms forward, continue motion)
Now is going back. (Pull arms back using same motion)
Now the bell is ringing. (Pull cord with closed fist)
Now the whistle blows. (Hold fist near mouth and blow Toot, Toot)
What alot of noise it makes. (Cover ears with hands)
Everywhere it goes. (Stretch out arms)
A peanut sat on a railroad track
His heart was all a flutter.
Around the bend came number ten
Choo, choo, peanut butter.
His heart was all a flutter.
Around the bend came number ten
Choo, choo, peanut butter.
ACTIVITIES
Learning Activity. Train Tracks. Use a low profile ladder (or rope, or brooms,
or sticks, or markers lined up, etc.) to make a train track. Set up a
destination (an imaginary park, waterfall, party, etc.) at the end of the
track. The kiddos are each a train and must travel along the track by
walking over each rung. As they pass each rung, they must count it.
For the return trip, count each rung in Spanish. If you repeat the game,
have the kiddos jump over each rung (or walk backwards, or elephant-walk,
etc.).
Learning Activity. Numbers Train Ride. Arrange enough chairs for each child like the
chairs on a train. Wear an apron and a hat–you are the conductor!
On the back of each chair place a tall number. Give each child a “ticket”
with pictures of trains on it. Welcome all your passengers and instruct
them to find the seat that matches their ticket. If their ticket has two
trains, they need to find the #2 seat. If their ticket has 6 trains, they
need to find the #6 seat. Pretend to take a train ride to see an
elephant. Collect the tickets. Look at the elephant, then play the game
again to go home, giving each passenger a new ticket. Play the game
again, letting the children take turns being the conductor and deciding where
to go.
Let the children be creative and come up with ways to make
their own locomotive trains! Large cardboard boxes and even egg cartons can be
used to make box cars.
Train Whistle - Have children decorate a toilet paper
tube with paint. When dry, punch a hole about a half-inch down the tube. Put a
circle of wax paper over one end secure it with a rubber band. When children
Blow through the hole, it makes train sounds.
Patterned Trains with Choo Choo wheels -
Give children construction paper rectangles in different colors. Have them glue
rectangles in a pattern order to look like a train. Glue Choo Choo wheel pasta
on bottom of train for wheels.
Take a Train Ride -
Line up chairs. Put a number on each chair. Give each child a train 'ticket'
with a number. Choose one child to be the ticket taker and mark the tickets
with a hole punch (or something similar). Let each child find their seat
number.
Play Conductor Says -
Train variation of Simon Says. Have the child who is the Conductor, wear a
Conductor hat.
Train Dramatic Play Area -
Set up a dramatic play area with hats, train whistles, tickets, a hole punch or
stamps, suitcases, etc.
Loose Caboose - This game can be played outside or in
a large area. Choose one child to be a caboose. Have the rest of the children
create one or more trains by hooking together. The caboose tries to catch onto
the back of one of the trains. Trains chug around and try to avoid being caught
by the caboose. When the caboose catches a train, the engine of that train
becomes the next caboose.
Human Train - Put masking tape down on floor to
look like train tracks. Have children line up (have children line up by height,
what color they are wearing, by birthdays, in boy-girl pattern, etc.) Children
put their hands on the shoulder of the person in front of them. Walk around
like a train. Make sure each child gets a turn as the engineer and lead the
train.
FOOD/SNACKS
Snack: Train Crackers. Use crackers (one square or rectangle and one
circle) to make a train. Spread peanut butter on them! Use banana
slices (or more round crackers) for the wheels. Eat up!
