I've just come across The Straight Edge, Inc., an online source that offers a large selection of educational placemats they call "Read a Mats" and "Write a Mats."
I love placemats. We have a variety of placemats in our home and I switch them out every few months according to season or a child's interest. Now that my son is getting older, the "Write a Mats" look especially interesting to me: The front side displays information and the back side lets your child fill in the blanks to see what they've learned. Write on the mats with wipe-off markers or crayons, then clean them and start again the next meal. This is also good because the placemats can be passed on to younger siblings as they grow.
The Straight Edge Inc. offers placemats in many themes: colors, letters, time, astronomy, math, transportation, science, animals, history, geography and more. Their newest mats focus on safety and reducing anxiety, with titles such as "A Day at the Beach," "A Visit to the Doctor" and "Street Smarts."
I'm envisioning dinners filled with lively conversation about history! Geography! Weather! Musical instruments! These beat traditional character placemats, hands down.
[tags]placemats, education, homeschooling[/tags]
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My daughter has learned a tremendous amount from placemats. Her favorites have been geography of the world, geography of the United States, and U.S. Presidents.
Great idea! I'm going to check those placemats out right now! By the way, how long have you been homeschooling?
Yes, they're great.
OMG. I use them and I'm not a mom who homeschools her kids!
Kids learn at home, too, even when they go to school.