We started the week at the library (or the bookmobile, rather). We found a witty book "Time Train" by Paul Fleischman, with beautiful illustrations by Claire Ewart. The jokes were lost on the toddlers, but they begged for the story all week, just the same.
We followed with hands-on lavash pizza trains. Pepperoni would have made perfect wheels, but we have one little vegetarian among us, so opted for zucchini rounds - a decision which cut down on the salt and fat! We selected some pre-made lavash and some yellow squash and zucchini from the market on our walk home. Using the mandoline for even slices, I cut the squash and zucchini. Timmy sprinkled on some herbs and I sautéed the slices in olive oil for 3 minutes. Then, Timmy patted them dry and layered them on the lavash. We steamed some red bell pepper, sautéed briefly in the olive oil with minced garlic, and tossed that on, too. Timmy and I crumbled rennet-free feta over the lavash and ground a bit of black pepper. Then baked at 400F for about 10 minutes (which is about how long it took Timmy to lick all the feta from his fingers). Voila!
I rearranged them before serving, moving some zucchini rounds into wheel positions and connecting lavash cars with red pepper couplers. Using kitchen scissors, I cut the top quarter of one rectangle and rotated it 90 degrees to make the smokestack. The effect was subtle, but nonetheless appreciated - I didn't manage a photo before the kids devoured the train!
Throughout the week, we focused on finding shapes in trains, counting cars and wheels, and the types and functions of trains. We walked to the train turnaround and talked about city train safety. If the kids got anything from my lecturing, it was "stand back!" when the warning bell sounds.
At home, they painted cardboard train cars. They were a bit disappointed that the train didn't go, but loved the process.
What really interested the kids was steam trains. All week long, we read about trains and studied the steam engine, learned the "puffer-billies" song, and practiced ticketing. By week's end, we were ready to ride Little Puffer!
The SF Zoo has an amazing small-scale, century-old steam train. Kids under three ride free, so it was a perfect outing for us. The downside was that we didn't gave tickets for the ticket-taker to take! The kids loved watching the engine driver fill the boiler and toot the whistle. We boarded and then rumbled down the tracks. The crossing arms dropped with flashing signals as pedestrians stood by waving. The engine released a huge puff of steam, briefly engulfing us in a thick cloud. As we passed through the tunnel/shelter, the driver blew bubbles which delighted the babies. This wasn't there first time on the train, but they were in complete awe as we climbed off the train. I think that having read so much about trains, they made a new connection with this experience. It wasn't just a ride, but the realization of everything they'd only just seen in their books.
Down at the station, early in the morning/ See the little puffer-billies, all in a row/ See the engine driver pull a little lever/ Puff-puff, peep-peep, off we go!
Location:San Francisco, ca
