Create a play mat that you can take with you for outside play

Posted in Uncategorized
by Lorain County Moms

By Nicole Blasenak Shapiro, Disney FamilyFun magazine

To kick up the fun factor on your next picnic or trip to the beach, bring along this play mat and your crew’s favorite cars, dolls, and other little toys. Kids can collect leaves, rocks, and other nature finds to add another imaginative dimension to the landscape (pack some play clay for easy-to-make bases for twig trees).

You will need:

• Masking tape
• 2 sharpened pencils
• 4- by 5-inch piece of cardboard
• Black Con-Tact paper
• Vinyl flannel-backed tablecloth
• Yellow electrical tape

1. Create a guide for drawing the roads by taping the pencils to the cardboard so that their points are 4 inches apart.
2. Working on the back side of the Con-Tact paper, drag the pencil guide along the length of the paper, making straightaways or curves as you like. Cut out the roads.
3. Partially peel the backing from one end of a paper road and stick it to the edge of the tablecloth. Smooth the paper onto the tablecloth as you continue peeling off the backing. Repeat with the remaining roads, then add 1½-inch pieces of yellow electrical tape for divider lines.