Tabletop Learning:
Placemats & Clear Table Covers
by Heather Idoni
FamilyClassroom.net
Lots of educational stores sell the laminated placemats with the Presidents, maps, etc., but the selection is pretty limited. How about making your own laminated place mats with printable PDF files from the internet, or your own creations? Better yet, get a few yards of clear, heavy vinyl "table cloth" type material from Wal-Mart or a fabric store to cover your dining room table and place learning materials underneath.
I was inspired recently by a reader question about ideas for this ongoing project -- and I let my boys each pick an area at the table and put what they wanted under their section of clear plastic cover. The magazine and coloring pages they initially chose cling nicely underneath the plastic, so nothing else is necessary to keep them from moving around. I'll be adding posters and print-outs as their interests change and I come across cool stuff online, etc.
Here is the reader question that inspired me -- and a summary of the answers/suggestions that came pouring in from the readers of our Homeschooler's Notebook newsletter!
"I have a simple question and could use some creative ideas.
Like many homeschoolers, we have a clear plastic 'tablecloth'
covering our kitchen table. We love putting things under it
at each child's place. They come to the table learning and
talking about the things I put under the plastic. But I don't
change it often because I am stumped for ideas. Our children
are ages 1 to 10, so all ideas would be applicable. We currently
have an outline map of the United States (and quiz them sometimes
to locate the states/capitals), the alphabet (with the vowels in
a different color from the consonants), a number chart, and
shapes for the three year old. If I have a list of things I can
use, I could easily change things around more often and keep it
exciting. I appreciate any ideas you can offer! Thank you!"
-- Jane in Texas
-----
"As a retired public school teacher, I wish the parents of the
students were so resourceful. Anything that you want to learn
could go under the tablecloth. Some things I thought of are:
-- spelling words
-- scripture verses
-- pictures of relatives with family tree genealogy chart
-- plants or plant parts
-- animals and where their habitat is
-- weather and cloud formations
-- bones of our body
-- tools - names and pictures
-- a picture of the parts of a motor and talk about how it runs
-- electrical diagrams and terms
-- kitchen tools - pictures and names
-- music - notes, terms, and songs
-- pictures of stones with names and descriptions
-- newspaper articles to discuss
-- parts of speech
-- vocabulary lists
Anything that you want your child to learn could be adapted. You
know, you could use an erasable marker and put worksheets under
the plastic. Fill in the answers and reuse later. This would be
a good idea for adults too. Guess I need to buy a clear plastic
tablecloth!" -- Janice
"Jane, you have a lot of neat ideas! One thing I would add is
holiday ideas. It would be great for displaying coloring pages
of the presidents, or hearts for valentines day. You could also
do charts or graphs with stickers or pictures, or the food pyramid,
pictures of healthy food choices, etc. One thing we did which
wasn't really a display, but was still fun: We put a world map
under the plastic. Instead of making a messy salt-dough relief
map to learn more about continents and world geography, I made
pizza dough, and we shaped the dough according to the world map
under the plastic! Then we topped it with tomato sauce and cheese
and baked them! It was really fun to ask for a 'slice of North
America, please'! I don't know what kind of plastic you use. I
use a thick vinyl that I get at a fabric store." -- Lori
"What a great idea -- I think I'll start doing this! I have a
few ideas myself. How about making some 'gameboards' to fit
underneath, and compiling your own sets of questions depending on
whatever you are currently studying? You can keep a small basket
of minature toys handy to use as the playing pieces. There are
websites dedicated to making your own games using manilla folders
as the 'boards'. You could also do bingo-style boards if you want
something at each child's place setting.
Hidden pictures from the Highlights magazine would be fun. What
about various 'worksheets', like drill work then give each child
a dry erase marker - (first one finished wins?) If the dry erase
markers will work on your plastic cover, then you have a world of
possibilities - crossword puzzles and word finds, etc.
My boys are in Scouts, so I think I will also incorporate that as
well - they always have a lot to memorize. You could do people
in history, composers and artists. Maps of specific countries,
timelines of any kind. Hmmmm, my brain is just running with this
idea! Have fun -- I know I will be!" -- Nicci in Michigan
"Jane, we also put charts and maps under our clear plastic table-
cloth. It has proven to be a great learning tool, and a fun
conversation starter when we have guests. You already mentioned
maps, but don't stop with the United States. Maps of foreign
countries and state maps are good, too. You could buy an inexpen-
sive atlas and pull the pages out. We bought a book on anatomy,
and carefully took the book apart so we could use those pages.
Rose Publishing -- www.rose-publishing.com -- has wonderful charts
on any topic of the Bible you could think of. We also bought
Michael Pearl's chart on Revelation -- www.nogreaterjoy.org . We
get free posters from the state conservation department, including
wild flowers, weather, animals, rocks, animal tracks, etc.
Other ideas: charts of the night sky; foreign languages; first
aid; plant identification; nutrition; rules of etiquette; memory
verses; instruments of the orchestra; composers; classical authors
and the books they wrote; seasonal, holiday and special occasion
themes; family geneology; US presidents; famous people and heroes;
art prints familiarizing us with famous artists; your children's
art work. You can contact the foreign embassies of various coun-
tries, and they will often have material from their country that
they would love to share with you -- www.embassy.org . Various
health care providers might have extra anatomical charts which
they would loan or give you; don't overlook specialists such as
optometrists, dentists, veterinarians, and so on -- we got a
terrific poster from our veterinarian on dog breeds. The local
weather bureau might have some weather posters. Sometimes you
can find printable charts and maps on the internet. Don't limit
yourself to small charts for each child's place; large charts
and maps which cover the entire table are good, too. We rotate
our seating at meals so the same person doesn't always have to
look at the chart upside down or sideways." -- Mary Beth
Other ideas that were mentioned:
-- Names of the planets with pictures
-- Books of the Bible
-- Bible verses (to memorize or just read - print them out with
pretty borders, etc. or print out notebooking/copywork pages and
write the verse in your own handwriting or in calligraphy)
-- Posters of plants, animals
-- Poster of parts of the body - all at once or divide it up:
Skeletal System, Respiratory system, etc.
-- Addition Facts, Subtraction facts, Multiplication Facts, etc.
-- weights and measures facts
-- Vocabulary
-- Poems
-- Parts of an Orchestra
-- Instruments in General and their names
-- A musical scale
-- Paintings by artists (feature one artist every 6-9 weeks and
change the painting every week or every other week)
-- Parts of a plant
-- Habitats/Biomes and their characteristics
-- Rocks and Minerals Poster
-- Lots of things could be done with animals - like parts of...
lifecycles of... characteristics of certain kinds of animals
(mammals, marsupials, fish, birds etc.)
-- Types of Leaves
-- Weather Facts
-- Layers of the Earth
-- Parts of a Volcano
-- Geography Terms and Picture (Peninsula, Plateau)
-- Grammar Terms and meanings
-- Punctuation Rules
-- Timelines for History
-- Posters of Famous People and what they did
-- Maps of the Explorers Journeys
-- Maps of Time periods or events of History
-- The words to hymns or songs you want them to learn
-- Character Traits and verses to go with them - List the trait
at the top and then print out the verses in their entirety
-- Prayer Request Sheet
-- Individual pages from older magazines the kids have gotten but
don't look at any more... like Big Backyard
-- Types of clouds
-- The Water Cycle
-- The Presidents (you could use a poster or place mat for this
that lists each president in order and has a picture of them)
Suggested websites for free printables:
ExploringNature.org
Answers in Genesis
DonnaYoung.org
American History online free printable ideas:
Presidential Elections from 1789 to 2000
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/elections.html
Territorial Acquisitions of the United States
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/territorialacquisition.html
U.S. Time Zones Map
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/timezones.html
Reference and Outline Maps of the United States
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/reference.html
U.S. Federal Lands and Indian Reservations
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/fedlands.html
