Playing and Learning with Thomas and Friends

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fisher-Price. All opinions are 100% mine.

We have had so much fun playing and learning with the Thomas and Friends™ TrackMaster™ Shipwreck Rails Set. It led to lots of STEM investigations and was the perfect addition to the new Thomas and Friends™ movie Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure!

STEM investigation with Thomas and Friends TrackMaster. A fun and exciting way to play and learn!

My son was beyond excited when his new Thomas and Friends™ TrackMaster™ set arrived along with the movie! You would have thought it was already Christmas. He was jumping up and down with excitement! He saw commercials for the movie and was thrilled to have his own copy and he was ecstatic to have a train set to go along with it. He wanted to play with it immediately.

Preschool learning with Thomas the Train.

I quickly opened the box and we both got to work putting it all together. There are a lot of parts, but the directions were very easy to follow and we had it all put together in a reasonable amount of time.

Preschool STEM learning activity. Learn about inclines, ramps, bridges, force and motion.

Purchase the DVD and Playset at Walmart (using the links provided below).

Thomas & Friends™ TrackMaster™ Shipwreck Rails Set from Fisher-Price is inspired by the movie Thomas & Friends DVD, Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure and definitely captures all of the adventure of the movie. After climbing the long and often steep incline to the top of the ship’s mast, Thomas plunges towards the deck and turns upside-down completely as he speeds along the spiraling track! When he reaches the bottom, he discovers the lost treasure and catches it in his cargo car. This TrackMaster™ set is compatible with all other TrackMaster™ sets, allowing your little engineer to continue to expand on and explore the exciting world of Thomas & Friends ™ TrackMaster™.

Play and Learning with Thomas and Friends

My kids couldn’t get enough of this train track! The climb up to the top of the mast was filled with anticipation and they got excited every single time he spiraled upside down towards the deck and caught the treasure.

Learning STEM concepts while playing with a train and train track.

I couldn’t help but notice all of the neat STEM discussions we could have while playing with this set. While putting it together we talked about many engineering concepts. We discussed inclines, ramps, bridges and what pieces we needed to keep the track upright and structurally sound.

We also talked about force and motion. We explored how the force of Thomas hitting the deck makes the piece tip and drop the treasure into the cargo car.

Here are some of the questions I asked to encourage critical thinking and STEM explorations:

  • Do think this piece should go next? Why or why not?
  • The incline appears to be tipping. What should we do to fix it?
  • How does the spiral section work? Why do you think Thomas doesn’t fall when tipping upside down?
  • How does the treasure get in the cargo car?
  • How does Thomas move around the track on his own?

I love when a toy provides lots of learning opportunities too!

Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure movie

After playing with the track for a long time, we took a break to watch the movie. My 4-year-old really enjoyed it and he loves the part when the pirate falls out of the boat, drops the treasure and gets caught.

I think it would be an awesome gift for kids this holiday season. It is sure to be a hit with the train lovers in your family!

Preschool STEM investigation with a train track.

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