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Circus Trains have always fasinated kids. Well, adults too! You can get really creative with this simple craft. Start saving your empty cardboard juice or treat boxes and any other small cardboard items you think might make a good train car. You'll be surprised what an empty container with a little paint, construction paper and imagination can turn into.

What You’ll Need

empty cardboard containers, any assorted sizes
construction paper to cover boxes
construction paper cut into some small circles (1/2 diameter)
tape
toilet paper tube (you can paint it black or cover with black construction paper for smoke stack)
animal crackers or draw and cut out any circus animals
scissors
markers
string or yarn
glue

Instructions

1. Cut off top of cardboard containers and wrap three sides by gluing construction paper on sides in the colors that are suitable to draw detail on with markers. Draw cage stripes on the cars. Leave some of the containers with all sides intact and wrap with construction paper on all four sides. Draw decorative designs on the cars, like the name of the circus, and some animal faces etc.

2. To make the train engine: Cut off about 2 inches from the toilet paper tube. Attach by cutting little notches on one bottom of tube, bend out slightly and glue to side of a juice box for the 'smoke stack'. Use markers to draw the engine's windows, Engine number and other details.

3. Cut the string or yarn into 3-inch pieces. Glue one end of string (put dot of glue on box, attach string, then cover with small circle cut from construction paper and hold for a half minute) to the back of the train engine and the other end of the string to the front of a train car. Attach the rest of the train cars to each other in the same way.

4. Cut another piece of string to at least 12 inches. Glue to the front of the train engine.

5. Fill your "cages" with your Animal crackers. They can be glued down but it's fun to move them around when you get to the "Big Top".

6. Now you can pull the train across the floor on it's way to the Circus. Choo Choo!

Submitted by Leximom