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Make a Train
Pinata
How
to make a Train Pinata
Make a pinata from boxes
and blue wrapping paper for your Thomas the Tank Engine party. |
| Set
Up Gather your materials:
- box for the cab
- box for under the boiler
- cylindrical oatmeal canister
- glue
gun
- blue wrapping paper
- blue paper for wheels
- black paper
- scissors
- red electrical tape
- duct tape
- masking tape
- clear tape
- 2 toilet
paper tubes
- yellow tissue paper
- ribbon
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Print out train wheels on blue paper and
cut out. Use
this download. Remember you need wheels for each side of the
train.
Pinata Filler
Thomas and Friends Sticker
Tool Gummy
Wooden Train Whistle
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Tips
- I do not recommend this as a whack and
bash pinata, just a pull and yank pinata.
- I used a large box from Goldfish crackers
for the cab
and a cereal box for under the boiler. The cereal box I used was just a
tiny bit wider than the cracker box, but it still worked out quite
well.
- You can find individual sheets of colored
paper
from some office supply stores, or in the scrapbook section of your
craft store.
The
Process for making a train pinata
- If the box for under the boiler is longer
than the boiler, or oatmeal canister,
cut the top of the box to make it the same length. Then, tape
the
boxes together with duct tape.
- Cut a trap door in the bottom of the
pinata. Punch a hole in the trap
door and tie a ribbon through it that will be able to
pull the trap
door open.
- Seal the trap door with
masking tape.
Test
it to be sure there’s
enough tape to hold all the prizes in the
pinata,
but not so much tape that it won’t open. (I used a red ribbon here, and
later changed it to a blue ribbon when my 2-year-old, who was helping,
lost the rest of my red ribbon.)
- Trace
the bottom of the pinata on blue wrapping paper, cut it out about 1
inch around the traced lines, and fold under the edges. Set this aside
to be
applied later.
- Wrap the front box that goes under the
boiler with blue paper and use clear tape to hold the paper. Be sure to
fold in the edges around the front of the box as well.
- Put a piece of blue paper on the
front of the cab and secure with clear tape.
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7. Wrap blue
paper around the rest of the cab. Fold under
edges that meet up with previously covered parts of the
train.
Be sure there is enough paper
for the top when it's
closed and folded down.
8. Cut out windows
from black paper for the sides of the train
cab. Use red
electrical tape to apply them to the cab. Cut
out
windows for the front
of the cab and apply with red
electrical tape as well. Be
sure the
windows in front won't
be covered by the boiler.
9. Put two stripes of electrical tape around the sides and
back of the train.
10. Wrap the boiler (oatmeal canister) with blue wrapping
paper, fold the ends inside and use masking
tape to
hold the edges down. Add a couple stripes of
red
electrical
tape.
11. Cut
a square from the yellow tissue that is a little larger
than
the smoke box door (the lid of the
oatmeal
container). Put some crumpled tissue in the center and
wrap the
square of tissue paper around the top of the lid.
Use masking tape on
the back of the lid to keep the tissue
paper in
place then put
the lid on the oatmeal canister.
If the lid doesn't hold on by
itself, secure
it with some hot
glue.
12. Turn a toilet paper tube into a
smokestack by wrapping it
with black paper. Fold the edges to the
inside and hold in
place with masking tape. |
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13. My
kids think the
couplers look like lights, and that's fine. I was hoping the yellow
tissue would look like gold, not a
light. To make the couplers at the
front of the
engine, cut two 1-inch slices off the
other toilet paper
tube and cover with black
paper, folding in the edges at the top
and
bottom. (I actually used a tube from gift
wrap because it has a greater
diameter.) Line each of the coverd tubes with a large
square of
yellow
tissue and add some crumpled tissue paper.
If needed, use hot glue
to hold the tissue in place.
14. Use
hot glue to glue the boiler on the train, glue the smokestack on top of
the boiler,
and the couplers on the front of the
train.
15. Use the tip of a pair of scissors to poke holes in the
sides of the pinata and run
ribbon
or string through them, about
an inch from the top. If you are using a box made of
thin cardboard, first put tape on
the box
where the holes will be so the string won’t
rip through the box while
it is
hanging.
16. Attach several more ribbons around the edge of
the bottom of
the pinata in
coordinating colors of the pinata. Use
small pieces of clear or
masking tape so the
ribbons will easily pull away from the
pinata.
17. Cover
the bottom of the pinata with the piece of wrapping
paper previously prepared
and folded to the correct size. The
picture
above does NOT show this piece as
applied, just in case you were
wondering.
18. Fill the train pinata with candy and toys, close, and
secure top of pinata and cover
with blue paper.
19. Hang up your train pinata and let the fun
to begin!
Tips
- Crease the paper by running your fingers along
all the
corners of the train pinata for a crisp look.
- Use rope, string, ribbon or even bias tape for
the
pinata
hangar. Avoid using yarn or elastic. If using a thin string like kite
string
you will want to double the string.
- Use curling ribbon or craft ribbon that
coordinate with the
colors of the party. I used blue ribbons for my train
pinata.
- The ribbon to open the trap door needs to be
placed opposite
the hinge so it can pull it open.
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| - If the ribbon attached to the trap door is not
at the edge
of the pinata, use small bits of scotch tape to hold it to the edge of
the pinata.
The false bottom will cover it up.
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Now your Train Pinata
is ready for your party.
Click
here to learn how to play the pinata game.
Return
to Make a Pinata from Train Pinata
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