Wheaton: Monkey Joe's

This train and its cars appear on the walls of the toddler zone

The twisting gears of a colorful train on the walls of the toddler area at Wheaton's Monkey Joe's give little ones something to enjoy while the bigger kids are bouncing around on the facilities many inflatables.  Other activities for the tiny tykes include many small toys to push around their very own corner, which is a safe distance away from the enthusiastic bouncing and inevitable running of older patrons. Slightly bigger, bolder youngsters have a bouncy place of their own just a few feet away. Of course, the bravest of all ages will want to try everything. So, bring them early before the biggest kids are out of school, done with their morning activities or out of their pajamas. Kids age 2 and under are half the price of their older siblings and friends! 
  

Coming down the slide on the little kids' inflatble

Aurora: Preschooler Train Class

Engine-eye view of Blackberry's train

The Fox Valley Park District is offering a fun class for preschoolers at Blackberry Farm this summer. The All Aboard! program for 4 to 6 year old meets at the farms Train Depot where children get to pretend to be station masters, then take a ride around the pond on the small-scale train. There are also train crafts, including a take-home whistle. The class meets for two hours with the choice of a June 30 or July 10 session. Full details are in the Summer Activity Guide. (Psst, it's on page 45.) Registration for residents begins May 10. Non-residents can sign up for activities beginning May 19.

No Polar Express Here: Digging out from the Polar Vortex

We here at Railroad Kids headquarters are just now digging out of the Polar Vortex. Oh, there has been much building of trains this winter. It takes the skill of an Olympic slalom skier to navigate rooms that have been literally covered in wooden train tracks, Lego train tracks and Power Train tracks, not to mention the urban landscapes that said railroads traverse.  As always, our reading of train books and viewing of train videos goes on and on. 

With the layout
she built herself 

Unfortunately, between the frigid cold and the epic power of Winter Germs, we haven't been out to visit many train sites this winter. We aren't the only ones who have sequestered ourselves. I was heartbroken to see the season has been too tough for a great little restaurant in Geneva. Last month, the Boxcar train restaurant announced that it was closing its doors. It was nice place: tasty food, fun for the kids, decorated in a way that even adults could appreciate. The Boxcar will be missed. 

After Christmas there was certainly a lull in train-themed family activities of all sorts, but take heart, those types of events are picking up again. May I point to the Chicago Family Palooza happening this very day in at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles? If you can't stand today's return to snow and icy winds, the many, many indoor attractions include a trackless train ride. It's the kind of thing that my kids would love if all three were healthy simultaneously. Alas, such is not the case. 

So, we continue to dream of Spring. Even now, my two year old is making a substantial Duplo train and station right here in the living room. No cough can hold him back from his engineering pursuits. Someday soon we hope to get out and ride the rails again. Until then, we build, build build! 

Batavia: Lego Day

Scenes from last year's
Batavia library
 Lego Day

Batavia, IL -- (Saturday, Jan. 25) Lego trains will be among the displays to see this Saturday at Batavia Public Library. The library's popular Lego Day will be open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Lego city scenes, which will include an elevated train, will be the work of ChiLUG -- Chicago Area Lego Users Group. Young builders will have a chance to make Lego creations of their own at the event, too. There are no admission fees or registration requirements. 

The library is located at 10 S. Batavia Ave., Batavia. 

A past Lego Day 

Magazine alert: Trains Magazine Big Boy issue

The perfect Easter basket present has been found! Trains magazine is now promoting their upcoming Big Boy issue, which will detail the process of bringing back to life the Union Pacific "Big Boy" engine. They are promising 100 pages of information on the restoration process for California's No. 4014. These 1940s engines were legendary for the power they brought to railroading over the mountains of the west coast. In my house, the story of the Big Boy has been a long-time favorite and my Senior Engineer can rattle off facts about its wheel alignment, engine power and service routes faster than a baseball fan can recite game stats. Parents, our schools (and our kids' future employees) want to see our young people develop their non-fiction reading skills. Even though its not a "kids" magazine, this is the kind of material that will get them excited about reading and developing those abilities. 

Big Boy: On the Road to Restoration is due to be published in April, with reservations (at a discount price) available on their website now. 

http://trn.trains.com/upbigboy

Train Book Alert: "Train" by Elisha Cooper

When I head to the library, my Senior Engineer almost always asks for train books to be brought home. We were both delighted to discover the new picture book Train by Elisha Cooper. With lilting illustrations and flowing narration, Train depicts the journey of several kinds of trains across the country. It was a special treat to find the Passenger Train "thundering into ... the outskirts of a midwestern city filled with smokestacks and factories and belching steam." Even the youngest Chicagoan, or suburban visitor, will see a skyline filled with very familiar skyscrapers. That real-life inspiration for the scenes on these pages extends to the rolling stock on every page. Images of Amtrak and Union Pacific engines, as well as cargo cars branded with recognizable names (CSX, Norfolk Southern, ADM, Hanjin), fills this picture book with enough detail to appeal to the maturing young reader, as well as their younger siblings. Those older readers, or parents of any question-asking train fan, will appreciate the glossary and notes with more than a dozen railroad terms explained. 

Find Train at libraries and bookstores. 

Road trip alert: Wisconsin Dells and Middleton, Wisconsin

A past visit to the
Mid-Continent Railway Museum
in North Freedom, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Dells -- Our holiday plans took us up to the Wisconsin Dells last week. While we didn't have time to take in the area tourist attractions beyond our hotel pool, our Senior Engineer noticed several activities he would like to visit next time we are in the area. (Once kids start to read well, nothing escapes their notice, does it?) When your travel plans take you north, too, here are some fun outings ideas for your own train fans: 

• Buffalo Phil's Pizza & Grill: Find this restaurant at the Tanger Outlet Mall and enjoy food delivered by train. 
• Riverside & Great Northern Railway: When this 15-inch gauge railroad opens in the spring, you'll be able to enjoy a steam train ride along a three-mile route through the scenic Dells. There's also a free museum and gift shop. 
• Mid-Continent Railway Museum: Located not to far away in North Freedom, this is a museum my family has been visiting for years, so the kids are eager to enjoy it again soon. A "Snow Train" weekend is coming up in mid-February, then the season opens for good in May. In the meantime, website visitors can follow the "Restoration Journal" to see the progress volunteers are making on the museum's steam engine collection. 

Travel Tangent: On your way to or from the Dells, you might find yourself in need of refreshment. I love quirky museums, so it was a delight to finally stop at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, near Madison. Further proof that trains are everywhere you look, among the vast collection of mustard jars from around the world, we found model train cars emblazoned with mustard brands. They are something to peek at while pondering which of the hundreds of mustard varieties you might want to sample with the museum's fresh pretzels. Yummy fun!

At the Mustard Museum, Middleton Wisconsin

At the Mustard Museum, Middleton Wisconsin