Homemade Contact Paper Placemat Craft

Make mess-free placemats for some mess-free meals!

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

Does your kid make a mess when he eats and when he does art projects? Nip that mess in the bud by having him create a place mat out of contact paper and various artsy materials (like glitter and foam shapes). The supplies are easy to clean up … and dinner will be, too!

Artiste:
Your kid.
Clear plastic contact paper:
Two sheets.
Construction paper:
A few sheets in different colors.
Scissors
Art materials:
Anything flat like dried leaves, foam shapes, glitter, magazine cut outs, paper shapes, yarn, stickers, etc.
Clear tape or masking tape

Cut two 11" x 17" pieces of clear contact paper.
Help your kid peel off the back of one of the pieces of paper, and then use some clear tape or masking tape to stick the paper (sticky side out) onto a table or a wall. You don't want it to slide all around and get crinkled.
Encourage your child to stick the art materials onto the contact paper to create a collage. He can use readymade materials, such as foam shapes and dried leaves, or he can create things to stick on there by cutting shapes out of colorful construction paper or magazines.
When he's finished his burst of creative genius, peel off the other 11" x 17" piece of contact paper and carefully lay it over the first one.
Get out some yogurt or pudding to celebrate his creation and serve it to him on his new mess-free place mat.