Custom-Designed Play Mat

How cool is this custom-designed play mat by boardstiff? You just give them your address and—voila!—your neighborhood appears on a play mat. What a fun way for kids to learn about their little piece of the world. The mats come in three sizes and can be rolled up for storage. And when your child outgrows the mat, you can frame it and give it to him (or her) to hang in his first apartment as a reminder of the old childhood home.

Of course, you could always buy a big roll of kraft paper and draw your own neighborhood or town. I used to tape sheets of loose-leaf notepaper together to draw maps of the towns where my story characters lived, and it makes me smile to watch Andrew doing the same now. He’s reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy this summer, and I don’t think you can be around Tolkien without wanting to make a map of your own enchanted world.

{play mat spotted on Say Yes to Hoboken}