Using Play Dough to Make Train Accessories and other things

I recently decided to make an effort to bring more play dough into our playtime after being inspired by The Imagination Tree (again!).We play a lot with trains, we talk a lot about trains and train are often the first choice for ramdom You Tube video watching. We have a train set but often find we have accessories missing as our games develop. So we started making train set accessories out of play dough.

Here is our first creation - a crossing:

Play Dough Level Crossing with Plastic Light

 We used this no-cook recipe (scroll down a little!) for the ramps and the gate holders, a cocktail stick for the gate, and a foam bead from a threading set with a broken cocktail stick for the hinge. I was really impressed with our work and wanted to make more. However, my nearly three year old had moved on to other things. So we made some random objects:

A stick, a spacecraft, an imprint of something I can't remember and a couple of wiggily woos*

But we'll be adding to our train set soon. We need a lot of accessories as the train stories just keep on growing. Do you have any ideas? Please comment and let me know.

In addition to the marvelous wonders of play dough, which you can read about via the links above, we also:

• talked about height and width as we measured the parts
• discussed the purpose of gates and hinges
• waited for parts to dry before we could play with them
• extended the possibilities for his pretend play 

For more play dough ideas, have a look at others who took the PLAY DOUGH PLEDGE

*We read about Wigglily Woos in this Sir Charlie Stinky Socks book by Christina Stephenson

Improve your children's listening skills with pieces of paper

Do you know what paper sounds like? What can you do with paper to make a noise? How much noise do you think you can make with one piece of paper? These are some of the questions you can ask to initiate exploration of paper, or you can leave them around, discovery box style, for the child to find and listen to. Either way, the preparation is pretty similar and can be adapted for children of any age ready to refine their listening skills.

Cut some differing pieces of paper to the same size. (A4 works well as it is small enough to handle and big enough to do a variety of things with.) Find ways to make a noise with them, comparing as you go. Simple. Your child will practice listening to quiet sounds and subtle differences in sound, both good for focussing better in school and becoming a good conversationalist.

We used ordinary printer paper, tissue paper, grease proof paper, tin foil (OK, I know it’s not paper, but it makes a great sound), thin packing paper and a piece of kitchen roll. Use anything you have available. My two year old looked at me oddly when I asked him what he thought paper sounded like, but was soon listening intently to the differences as we shook them. 

Are you ready to listen?

Then we listened carefully to the quiet sound made when you put thumb and fore finger on either side and rub in a circle. Holding the paper close to the ear we heard a very different sound. He was enthralled.

Flicking the paper produced lots of giggles as he saw the paper move quickly towards him as I hit it from the other side.

Next we ripped the sheets up. Some paper sounded the same as other sheets, and some very different. Then we just had loads of fun ripping it all up!

Paper Ripped Noisily!

For an almost three year old, that was enough. We learnt a lot and had lots of fun. An older child may want to do more and talk about the how and why of the different sounds. A larger variety of materials would also be interesting, for example different thicknesses of card or other materials like plastic.

Here are some things you could do:

• Rip
• Shake
• Rub
• Flick
• Draw on - with different types of pen
• Screw into a ball
• Walk on (especially on carpet)
• Have a pet walk on
• Hang on a line and throw a ball at
• Drive cars or other vehicles over

Any more ideas? I’d love to read your comments.

Most of the sounds here are very quiet, especially in a child’s world, and are a reminder that sometimes it is worth holding your tongue and paying attention to what’s going on, just so you don’t miss anything.

And we didn't waste the paper...

Add glue and coloured card

 We made an interesting picture:

Recycled Paper Art

Driving Cars on Corrugated Card

I’m not sure if this is an activity or just a really easy way to fill some time, or both! We started off looking for some cardboard to frame a couple of photos. B chose the corrugated sheet and was immediately engrossed with it. He scratched it, poked at it, twisted it. We had used corrugated card before, but it was a while ago, and I could see a new fascination with it.

It seemed counterintuitive to stand and watch or give comment. So I left him alone. A long while later I found him driving his cars from one end of the room to the other, across the corrugated card to a parking lot on the carpet. He had also drawn on the card since I had left. He looked very happy and completely engrossed in his work.

Later, as I took photos, he told me all about the cars’ journey and how they went bumpity bump across the card.

Completely Engrossed

Bumpity Bump Bump!

Windmills on Clothes Pegs

Windmills are always lovely to look at. We wanted to make some of our own and tried a few different types of paper. The best ones by far are made with our own design from painting in a tub which we did a few weeks ago.

I found this page to have the simplest instructions to follow however I didn’t like to put the windmill on a straw as the pin came right through. So we experimented with different holders. We tried pencils, lolly sticks, door frames… but our favourite are clothes pegs. It makes them wonderfully mobile.

Mini Windmills on Clothes Pegs on a Plastic Cup

 

 

 

The craft was a little difficult for my nearly three year old to do well, but he enjoyed trying and loved the final thing. He liked that we used paper from an old painting activity, that we did something worthwhile with it. He marvelled at the transformation from flat piece of paper to a moving 3D shape. The clothes pegs were a great work out for his little fingers. We peg them outside in good weather and quickly bring them in if it rains.