Cool Gift of the Day
Thursday, October 27, 2005
What it is:
A set of four placemats made from special chalkboard fabric, to provide a reusable doodling surface during meals.
Why we love it:
We're always telling children not to play with their food, but the trouble is, what should they play with? No offense to your meatloaf intended, but mealtimes can get a little dull for the little ones, especially when mom and dad are hashing over their respective workdays. A little something to keep a kid entertained during dinner isn't such a bad idea. You need something with just the right mess quotient to keep a child amused, but not enough to be a real inconvenience for mom and dad. So these chalkboard placemats ought to do the trick. They're foam mats with special chalkboard fabric sewn into them; use them to doodle on during dinner, and then just wipe them clean after. While we recommend this for tots, don't be surprised if your next dinner party goes gaga over them. Play a few rousing games of hangman or tic-tac-toe between the soup and the entrèe, and people will be talking about your party for days.
Who we'd give it to:
Parents, artsy types, doodlers, fidgeters, and artistes.
Where to get it:
From
Shop.com for an artsy $43.62