Lifesavers Candy Train Crafts

Lifesaver candy trains make great birthday party centerpieces. Children can even join in the fun and help make these delicious trains. There is no right or wrong way to make them; it's just a matter of finding the right combination of geometric shapes.

Lifesavers, candy bars, packs of chewing gum and other wrapped candies can be used to make a lifesaver candy train. If traditional lifesaver tubes are not available, packaged tubes of Necco wafers or Sweet Tarts will work. The trick is to find candies in a variety of shapes, including cylinders, rectangles, circles, balls and squares. Use flat candies such as fruit rollups or sour sticks as track. Apply adhesive glue dots to join each piece.

For the main body of the engine, stack a long lifesaver or other tubular candy package on top of two packs of gum placed end to end. Add circular candy for wheels and rectangular candy for the engine's cab. Build a smoke stack from an inverted Hershey's kiss or stacked lifesavers topped with a gum ball. A rectangular candy can be attached at an angle to the front of the engine to give the look of a cow catcher.

Candy bars, Tootsie rolls and packs of gum make great bodies for train cars. Add circular candy for wheels, such as miniature peppermint patties or starlight mints. Each car can be made to look as if it is carrying a load of freight by stacking various candies on the car body. For example, Smarties candies look like stacked logs, peanut butter bars look like loads of wood, and bubble gum looks like a load of coal or rocks. Pull-and-peel licorice can be used to add detail. Children who are helping to create the train may have ideas of their own. Don't be afraid to supply kids with a few pictures of completed candy trains, some glue dots and a wide selection of candies. Then, turn the budding artists loose!