We Play – Train wash

We’ve had colds here lately, so there have been several tissue boxes in the house. The other day I found a pile of tissues taken out of the box and the box in Cutie Pie’s hand. He was standing near the train table and asking me to make it into a tunnel. Cutie Pie is getting really good with scissors, but not with cardboard, so I agreed to help, but only if he told me just what to do.

He told me just where he wanted his trains to go into the ‘tunnel’ and where he wanted them to come out. He also told me, with a little prodding, just what shape to make the holes for the tunnel. He watched me cut them on either end of the box to make sure I did it correctly. Evidently, according to Cutie Pie, the opening for the tissues was going to make it easier for Sweet Pea to use the tunnel. How thoughtful!

Once the tunnel was complete, or so I thought, Cutie Pie brought me a piece of yarn he had found. It had been pulled off a homemade mask. He directed me to cut it in certain spots, but not in others, and to lay it all flat on a piece of tape. After a few questions from me I took the piece of yarn, and the skein of yarn, into the kitchen and proceeded to cut pieces of a certain length, and attached the yarn to the tape just as requested. I handed the box to Cutie Pie and he ran off. A little while later I checked on him. He had placed his tracks inside the box tunnel, and was running his trains through the yarn. “Look at my train wash, Mommy!”

I love helping the creations in his mind come to fruition! It’s even better when his ideas work the first time without modification! He thought the process through, explained it clearly, gave me direction to complete the project and enjoyed the result!

Check out We Play at Childhood 101 for more play ideas!