These ideas are for a Thomas the Tank or train theme Birthday Party....... Invitations: All Aboard... to celebrate ___'s Birthday! Inside: Name of "Station" (Your Name) Please meet at Track # "street address" Date: Time: RSVP: To the Station Master  Decorations: Lots of train signs (railroad crossing, "W" for whistle, etc) Red and Black balloons and streamers. Draw tracks (with Chalk) up to the front door or entrance. If you don't have a sidewalk leading up to your front door you can use flour to make the tracks. Sign on front door: "________" Station, Track #--- through the entrance. Cover your table with a white sheet or table cloth. Make train tracks with black construction paper or streamers running down the middle of the table. Place a toy train on the track  The Menu Cut out sandwiches with a train shaped cookie cutter. You can serve these with chips, some fresh fruit and veggies. Party Favors: Select any of these or a combination! A Golden book of the Little Engine that Could A Thomas the Tank story book Some train stickers A choo- choo- whistle A red bandana A pencil decorated with trains Games and Activity options...  "Hot Train"- Pass around a Thomas the Tank train (or a wooden Brio type train) in a circle while playing some train music. Whoever is left holding the train when the music stops is out. Repeat this until there is a winner!  Pin the Bell on the Steam Train- Draw a picture of a steam engine on poster board and have the children take turns trying to pin the whistle on the train while wearing blindfolds. A train pinata is lots of fun! "Box Car Fun"- Go to a local appliance store and get some really big boxes. Have everybody at the party decorate these boxes and turn them into a train. (you need at least three....one for the engine, one for passengers, and one for the caboose) If you want to make a Thomas the Tank train, be sure to have lots of washable blue paint (you may even want to paint it ahead of time and just have the kids decorate it with the wheels, face, etc) "Train Bean Bag Toss"- Make a train out of shoe boxes. The children take turns with three bean bags trying to get them into the boxes (of course if you are using the Thomas theme, be sure to make your shoe box trains look like Thomas)  -Musical "Train" Cars- Play train music and have the kids climb into a car when the music stops. Continue to take away "cars" each time you play the music. Whoever is not in a car when the music stops is out. "The Conductor Says" instead of "Simon Says" -End the Party with quiet story time. Any Thomas the Tank story would be great!