Wacky Wednesday: Polar Express!

Wacky Wednesday:

Polar Express

Stay in PJ's all day and Relax and Watch the Movie.  They even have it in 3-D!!!  It's Great!  Read the book at night to your child before they go to bed.

Snow Blowers Game

• Supplies Needed: Paper Towel Tubes, Paint, Decorations, Glue, Cotton Balls

1. Decorate the paper towel tubes.
2. Divide into 2 teams.
3. Each player on the team gets a tube.  Have the team members stand facing each other.  Then one side gets a cotton ball.  They place the cotton ball into the paper towel tube and blow it across to their team mate to catch it.  If they catch it then they take a step back.  The person who caught it steps back. 

Bell Scavenger Hunt

• Supplies Needed: Big Jingle Bell

1. An adult hides a Big Jingle Bell in the house.
2. Then everyone tries to find it.
3. The one who finds it gets to hide it.

Popsicle Train Tracks

• Supplies Needed: Small and Large Popsicle Sticks, Glue, Paint

1. Paint popsicle stick and let them dry.
2. Then lay two large sticks by each other.  
3. Then glue smaller sticks on top of the larger ones, to form tracks.

Candy Train 

• Supplies Needed: Life Savers, Pack of Double-mint Gum, A Hersey's Kiss, 4 Peppermint Candies,  Carmel

1. Glue a roll of life savers on top of a pack of  gum.  
2. Then glue a carmel in front of the life savers.
3. Next, glue a kiss on top of the carmel.
4. Finally, glue 4 peppermint candies on the sides for wheels.

Train Ticket

• Supplies Needed: Card Stock, Black Marker, Decorations, Glitter, Glue, Stickers

1. Cut a rectangle shape like a ticket.
2. Write down destination, time, train number, station, child's name, and whatever else you would like.  
3. Have your child decorate their train ticket.

Wooden Train

• Supplies Needed: Wooden Train(Found at Hobby Lobby or Walmart), Paint, Paint Brush

1. Just have your child paint their very own train.

Cardboard Train

• Supplies Needed: 1 large Cardboard Box, Several Small Boxes, Black and Red Construction Paper, Very Small Box, Paint or Wrapping Paper, Empty Paper Towel Rolls, Yarn, Pieces of Cardboard, Large Brads, Empty Oatmeal Container, Cotton Balls, White Pipe Cleaners

1. The large box in the engine and the smaller ones are the rest of the train.
2. The very small box goes on the front of the big box.  You can tape or tie this onto the big box.
3. Cut out red circles for the lights on front of the train and glue in place.
4. Wrap up or paint an oatmeal container.
5. Glue the oatmeal container on top of the very small box for the stacker.
6. You can then pull apart cotton balls to glue around the top of the oatmeal container to look like steam.  You could also glue white pipe cleaners on top for steam too.
7. Connect the train together with yarn.
8. Cut out large black circles for wheels.  Connect them together with brads onto the train.
9. Take paper towel rolls or wrapping paper tubes and glue them to the front wheels. 
10. If you really wanted to you could put the front wheels onto the paper towel or wrapping paper tubes and fasten them with brads.  Then cut out a circle out of the cardboard on the sides, with a circle in between.  You can then put a handle in the middle of the tube, using cardboard, so your child can move the wheels with the handles.

Lost Cargo Train Game

• Supplies Needed: Different Items to Hide, Sheet of paper, Pen

1. On a piece of paper write down all the items that you have hidden around the house.  
2. Let your child try to find all the things on the paper.  

Coal Game

• Supplies Needed: Foil, 6 Empty Containers, Train Pictures, Tape

1. Tape train pictures on 6 empty containers.
2. Then wad up foil to have your child try to get their pieces of coal into the bucket.
3. You can put a value on the buckets if you want too.

Passport

• Supplies Needed: Card-stock, Picture of your child, Glue, Decorations, Marker, Yarn, Plain Paper, Hole Puncher

1. Make a passport book with a piece of card-stock.  Write passport on the front.
2. Glue a picture of your child on the inside, so when they open it their picture will show right away. 
3. Write down your child's information on the opposite side of picture.  Things like their name, age, address, whatever you wish.
4. Punch a hole in the corner of passport.  Thread the yarn through the hole for your child to wear around their neck.

Loading The Train Game

• Supplies Needed: Ping Pong Balls, Spoon, Container

1. Divide into 2 teams.  
2. Each team most carry a ping pong on a spoon to fill up the container.  
3. The first team to get rid of all their balls wins.

Index Card Train

• Supplies Needed: Index cards, Decorations, Cardboard, Glue, Yarn, Hole Puncher

1. Make a train with index cards.  You need an engine, cargo and caboose.  
2. Have your child decorate their train.
3. Punch holes in the train toward the bottom to connect them together with yarn.
4. You can glue the train onto a piece of cardboard if you want.

Pretend to be an Engineer

• Supplies Needed: Red Bandana, Stripped Overalls, Conductor Hat, WoodenTrain Whistle or Candy Whistle

1. Have your child pretend they are an engineer.

Pretend Train Tracks

• Supplies Needed: Blue Painters Tape

1. Place tape onto your floor to form train tracks.

Go on a Real Train Ride

Bell Bracelet

• Supplies Needed: Pipe Cleaner, Bells, Beads

1. Thread bells and beads onto a pipe cleaner and twist the ends together to hold it together.

Pin the Train on the Tracks Game

• Supplies Needed: Poster Board, Popsicle Sticks, Glue, Picture of a Train, Clear Contact Paper, Double Sided Tape, Blindfold

1. Glue sticks onto a poster board to form train tracks.
2. Cover a train picture with clear contact paper.  
3. Put double sided tape on the back of the train picture.
4. Blindfold a child and let them try to place the train onto the tracks.

Popsicle Railroad Crossing Sign

• Supplies Needed: Popsicle Sticks, Blank and White Paint, Glue, Black Marker

1. Paint popsicle sticks black and white like a crossing sign.
2. Glue them together in an X.  
3. Then glue a stick on the back of the X, to make it like a finger puppet.

Choo, Choo, Caboose Game

• Just Like Duck, Duck Goose

Pretend Fire

• Supplies Needed: Empty Paper Towel Tubes, Scissors, Red and Yellow Tissue Paper

1. Cut notches in the paper towel tubes to make them lay onto each other without them rolling around.  You can glue them together to help hold them together better.
2. Place tissue paper in between the tubes to make it look like fire.

Dining Car

• Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows or Whip Cream with Candy Cane Stirrer (Hy-Vee has great flavored hot chocolate in individual packets like butterscotch, carmel and more.

• Pretzel Train Tracks: Pretzel Rods, String Licorice 

1. Take 2 rods and set them by each other.  
2. Then take pieces of licorice and tie the rods together like train tracks.

• Train Gummies
• Cakes and Cookies
• More on the website below

Printables:

• Click Here: For Great Printables and other ideas
• www.polarexpress.com

Wacky Wednesday: Polar Express!