How to turn a map into wall art *and* a toy?

August 4, 2006 8:59 AM

I have a 3-year-old and 1-year-old that just spent a week warming up to all of my cousins (of whom I'm the oldest, and the youngest is, I think, six). I got a 50" x 32" Rand McNally road map that I want to serve as both wall art and a hands-on toy, and I don't know how to do both.

Unprotected, my youngest in particular would destroy it. I could laminate it and pin it to the wall or to a corkboard, which would be functional but not aesthetic; I could frame it, which would be aesthetic but not functional. I want to be able to draw on the map in a way that isn't easily wiped off, but also *can* be modified if someone moves, etc. -- stickies behind glass or plexiglass, or something like that. I'd also entertain out-of-the-box suggestions, such as slicing it into squares and laminating the pieces.

posted by blueshammer to home & garden (7 comments total)

mount it under a piece of plexiglass and write on that with grease pencils.
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:05 AM on August 4, 2006

My Grandparents had a large wall map that they used flag pins in to mark their travels. With enough adult supervision, that might be an appropriate way to involve the kids.
posted by jrb223 at 9:07 AM on August 4, 2006

I could laminate it and pin it to the wall or to a corkboard, which would be functional but not aesthetic; I could frame it, which would be aesthetic but not functional.

I think the answer is a cross-pollination of these two. Mount it on corkboard and then frame it (without glass). Use flag pins, thumbtacks, tiny drink umbrellas, bent safety pins, monopoly pieces welded to nails--whatever you want--to keep track of people and places.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 9:23 AM on August 4, 2006

I did something like this when my son was young. We'd taken a long trip around most of the western US and met a ton of relatives, so to keep them fresh in his mind, I hung one of those teacher style/bulletin board decoration maps on his wall, just above his bed. It was low enough that we could sit there and touch it and trace our route. I marked in the cities we'd visited and the highways we'd traveled, and we'd trace that route and talk about all the family and friends we'd met. Now, I think I'd print out small pictures of everybody and paste them into the correct spots.
I also laminated a bunch of AAA maps and punched holes in the short end, used those ring hinged metal rings to bind them together and hung them up on a dowel on the wall. They could be taken down and flipped like a book. We used grease pencils to mark on those.

Teacher supply stores have tons of this sort of thing, for not too much money. I like the idea of a really detailed map but also some kind of simple outline, especially for such young kids. There is some fun stuff on this randomly choosen off the internet page.
posted by jvilter at 9:25 AM on August 4, 2006

Suggestion: Buy two identical maps. Put one on the wall, using any of the great ideas suggested above.

Take the second and cut it into squares approximately the size of a scrapbook page (or your size of choice). Add the appropriate info to each page (pictures would be great), then laminate each page, punch a hole in the corners and connect with a binder ring.

Now you have a map book that might be easier for the little ones to deal with. Good bedtime reading for snuggling together as a family, perhaps?
posted by SuperSquirrel at 9:37 AM on August 4, 2006

Put clear contact paper over the map for a cheap laminating job that won't require cutting the poster.
posted by chickletworks at 11:03 AM on August 4, 2006

frame it with a piece of metal behind the map, then use magnets, bought or made, to mark places and people
posted by striker at 11:26 AM on August 4, 2006