Sleep Sounds

Wild Trains

Many children (and adults) benefit from regular and lulling sounds played while they sleep. Ocean waves are popular as are gentle rain and thunderstorms. I used to listen to a recording of peepers. Having a particular soundtrack that is played only at night can be a comforting part of the bedtime ritual and can serve as a gentle signal that it’s time to sleep. I turn one on when we start getting into our jammies and it plays as I read him his bedtime stories. When he took naps it went on as he settled in for his one naptime book. Unlike most kids, though, he has absolutely no interest in waves or other Nature sounds. Nope. He’s a Trainboy… Continue Reading…

The Switching Yard Game

Wild Trains

We have a switching yard in front of our house. There are nine tracks, a water tower, and a coaling station. Every morning there’s work to do there. Most of the time there are trains all ready to go and all a locomotive needs to do is couple up and deliver them to where they need to go. Sometimes there’s a bit of shunting to do to get them ready.

Safety Post

Model Trains

The first question that pops into a parent’s head when buying toys for their child is often “Is it safe?” I’m not going to lie to you. Model trains are meant to run in circles on a track in a layout and that movement is the fascination for any age. But for the three to seven crowd, their toys are their friends. They have names and feelings and needs. When the train is done running the track, a younger child will want to snuggle and feed it. They’ll probably want to sleep with it, too. The slightly older child will want to take their train along on their day to share experiences with it. Since most model trains say that… Continue Reading…

Railfest 2023

Big Trains

“RAILFEST!” A series of toots from my son’s bedroom followed by a long foghorn effect (his Big Boy whistle) guaranteed that we were awake. Then it was on the road for Railfest at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Steamtown is fun for train lovers of any age any day of the year but the sheer number of trains on display at Railfest was enough to delight everybody. We tooted hello to the Big Boy #4012 as we drove past her on the way to the parking area and immediately went to see the Birthday Girl, the Canadian Pacific #2317, who was on display in front of the roundhouse. She’s 100 years old this month and celebrated by giving… Continue Reading…

Wild Trains!

Wild Trains

We’re a reading family so I’m always on the lookout for good books. Really good books can be life changing. I found one of this caliber three or four years ago at the thrift store. It’s entitled How To Train A Train written by Jason Carter Eaton and illustrated by John Rocco. Wow. We never knew there were wild trains. We had to go looking for them. Of course, once you know they’re out there their tracks are pretty easy to spot. Our valley is full of them!

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