Family · Make · Photography · The Kids
Sweet Elias and Trains
Sidewalk chalk time with Daddy is the best.
As you can tell by the train drawing, Elias is really into trains right now. He keeps telling me he wants a train party for his birthday party this year.
If you have any ideas, let me know. Adeline is due just a couple weeks before, so we want to keep it simple. We’ll probably do it at a park since we don’t have much room at our condo.
A few ideas:
- conductor hats for the kids
- a train cake (made using small pans)
- train whistles for the kids
- some sort of big cardboard train that they could play in? (Matthew is really into this idea and said I should find a pattern.)
You could draw a track with chalk and have the kids form a train (a conga line!) while music plays. If they’re old enough to understand a cake-walk type concept, certain spots on the track could be marked, and the child on that spot when the music stops wins a prize!
Get cardboard boxes, remove the tops and bottoms and put straps on each side and spray paint them one color. The kids can decorate them as trains (with markers, foam stickers, pre-cut construction paper wheels, etc) and then wear them around, putting the straps on their shoulders.
Jessica. I saw this and thought of you. Hope it helps make a perfect train for Elias.
http://www.mrmcgroovys.com/products/2-Mr-McGroovy's-Project-Plans/11-Cardboard-Steam-Train-Project-Plans/
Hey Jessica!
I was looking around for ideas for you – check this blog out:
http://www.hostessblog.com/2010/07/real-parties-modern-train-birthday/
She did a LOT but you can use some of the ideas – Super cute! 🙂
Hey Jessica,
Check out this tut and pattern for an engineer hat.
http://www.aestheticnest.com/2011/03/sewing-engineer-cap-oh-boy-tutorial.html
So cute! I don’t think I will have the energy or time to make these for all of Elias’s friends. I will probably just order hats from Oriental Trading. 🙂
Please rethink the train whistles. Seriously. The parents will thank you. Even one child blowing it endlessly will make for strained nerves. And if you give them as party favors, the kids will drive the parents crazy on the ride home with them. I speak from experience and several not so happy parents letting me know how they loved my cute whistles. The hats are perfect. It will be a darling party.
Very true! Thanks for the feedback.
We made a train cake for my daughter’s birthday last year. I have never decorated a cake before and it turned out so great! I will hunt down the link to the instructions we used and pass it in to you:)
do you know there is a train exhibit until the end of the year at cheekwood
http://www.cheekwood.org/Gardens/TRAINS_Tennessee_in_G.aspx
it might not help for the bday, but maybe you can take him sometime and get his bday pictures with trains so you’ll remember what he was into at this age.
Will surely be watching this post. My son is having a Thomas party this year. Only issue is that I’m due with number #2 on his birthday!!
Have seen the idea of serving finger food in bowls to represent carriages and a little plastic train at the front.
My nephew has had train parties at venues that have a child sized/ride on train that takes people on a circuit or two of a little track – don’t know if there is one near your place but might be something to look into or a train enthuiasts club?