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April 12, 2011 | 19 Comments

Upcycled Mat Roadway

I love making things with items that would otherwise end up thrown away and with Earth Day coming up now is as good a time as any to reuse things for fun!  This isn’t the first roadway we’ve made, we made this one ages ago and it’s still played with daily . If your child wants design and to make it go for it, my son decided he’d “Be the boss.” Which I am sure was a great change from being a kid and he still felt ownership and pride while playing with it knowing he was the designer. He’s already deemed this to be only for big kids and he is right – the tape used on this craft is not safe for babies or toddlers . If you are making this for a toddler I’d do this toddler friendly one instead.

  1. Gather your materials. You will need a green kitchen or door mat, black duck tape, additional colors of tape of your choice, permanent markers and  scissors.
  2. Start by making a plain black road. I wrapped the tape all the way to the underside to prevent it peeling up.
  3. Now add the yellow lane markers.
  4. Time to talk about what sort of buildings to make. A fire station was not surprisingly my son’s first choice.
  5. Next up a police station.
  6. He couldn’t wait to get his vehicles on !
  7. A super market complete with parking lot was next.
  8. Here he is deciding where we should put houses.
  9. We also added a school, and a pond with fish.
  10. It was an immediate hit!

In The Town All Year Round (a perfect book match for this activity).

In the Town All Year ‘Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner is amazing. Its premise is the comings and goings of a town in all four seasons. There is limited text, which serves only to steer readers to look for specific people in the highly detailed illustrations. Each season has multiple pages and the people remain constant throughout the seasons. So you see inside an apartment building, the town square, the park, railroad station etc… in every season. You see the changes in town, the progression, and of course the distinct weather in each section. The pictures also progress within the seasons, so a fire truck with a flashing light can be seen on every page in one season with the last page showing it getting to the fire. I can’t possibly explain the amazing detail and sheer number of things to find, make up stories about and spark your child’s imagination in this book. My son adores it. After renewing it multiple times from our library I bought it as his 2010 Valentine’s gift. It goes everywhere with us, perfect for long drives , waits in the Ob’s waiting room and plain old playtime he picks it up every day and finds something new.

What I really love is that because there is no text but still multiple storylines it’s helped my son to understand that literacy isn’t just about words, it about explaining what’s going on, and reading the pictures too. The absence of text has allowed me to really show him that. Now he has started grabbing books with text and telling me he’d read me the pictures, which boosts both his confidence and his enjoyment of independent reading.

Edited for 2011: My son is still crazy over this book. When I am desperate for him to chill out so I can get my daughter down for a nap nothing keeps him occupied ( and quiet) like this book. It’s magic!

 

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Elementary, Age: Kindergarten, Community Activities, Recycled Art, Roadway, Transportation | 19 Comments

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19 Comments

  1. clodagh says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:26 am

    that is brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

    to clodagh" aria-label='reply to this comment to clodagh'>reply to this comment
  2. melissa says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:26 am

    this is perfect. my little boy is all about cars and trucks right now!! we are totally making this!

    to melissa" aria-label='reply to this comment to melissa'>reply to this comment
  3. Scott says

    April 12, 2011 at 5:10 am

    This is fantastic. I envision several “neighborhoods” that could connect by roadways. Thanks for the idea.

    to Scott" aria-label='reply to this comment to Scott'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      April 12, 2011 at 7:38 pm

      Oh how fun in a class! One of my favorite teaching days ever was when my 2 year olds and I ditched our plans and turned the classroom into a town. Easily the coolest teaching day ever.

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  4. Jillian says

    April 12, 2011 at 5:49 am

    I’m going to request this one at the library right now! My son has a huge play mat that Grandma found at a garage sale for $2. It’s been the best toy ever! (Can’t beat 4 years of play.) I think this smaller version would be a nice addition. Plus he will be able to add locations that are important to him. . .like the dump=)

    to Jillian" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jillian'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      April 12, 2011 at 7:36 pm

      Our first version has a dump too!

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  5. pat says

    April 12, 2011 at 8:07 am

    Great idea !! We have a large gray rug in the play room With juice stains I was going to throw it out . Going to the dollar store this afternoon to get coloured duct tape . Can’t wait to make a road way with my 3 year old!!!

    to pat" aria-label='reply to this comment to pat'>reply to this comment
  6. Jen @ Jen Spends says

    April 12, 2011 at 8:18 am

    This is such a clever idea! I think I have an old brown area rug that could work. I love repurposing old things.

    to Jen @ Jen Spends" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jen @ Jen Spends'>reply to this comment
  7. Amanda says

    April 12, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    Oh, I really like this one. Anything to do with trucks and cars goes over really well in our house. Plus, Mama gets to play with duct tape! 😀

    to Amanda" aria-label='reply to this comment to Amanda'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      April 12, 2011 at 7:35 pm

      My thoughts exactly! Duck Tape rocks!

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  8. Gianne says

    April 12, 2011 at 7:49 pm

    Wanted to stop by and let you know I linked to your website because my girls (and the rest of our playgroup) had a blast doing the alien craft. Maybe you’d wanna see pics? http://www.cowsgomooandducksgoquack.blogspot.com

    Super cute road map idea btw!
    Gianne

    to Gianne" aria-label='reply to this comment to Gianne'>reply to this comment
  9. Shauna says

    April 12, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    What a fun and clever idea! So fun for the imagination and I love reusing everyday items.
    Shauna
    myshaenoel.blogspot.com

    to Shauna" aria-label='reply to this comment to Shauna'>reply to this comment
  10. Natalie says

    April 13, 2011 at 9:05 pm

    This is a great idea. We have the same book in German and even though daughter refuses to speak the language, she does love the book!

    to Natalie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Natalie'>reply to this comment
  11. Tammie says

    January 26, 2013 at 6:15 am

    Wow, this is so cool!!
    Thank you for the ideas. I can picture so many activities with this that will grow with my grandson.
    Thank you
    Tammie

    to Tammie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Tammie'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Saturday Stumbles | Blessed Quiver says:
    April 15, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    […] Here is one that’s not a photo.  It has a photo, though.  This is fun.  You should make this and send it to me.  Because I have no idea where to get the mat or the tape or the scissors.  Kidding about the scissors.  No Time for Flashcards […]

    to Saturday Stumbles | Blessed Quiver" aria-label='reply to this comment to Saturday Stumbles | Blessed Quiver'>reply to this comment
  2. Win 20 Picture Books ! | No Time For Flash Cards says:
    May 27, 2011 at 12:03 am

    […] away a prize pack of 20 of my favorite picture books. The full list ( click to see ) includes In The Town All Year Round, Whoever You Are , Freight Train, Anamalia , Corduroy and 15 […]

    to Win 20 Picture Books ! | No Time For Flash Cards" aria-label='reply to this comment to Win 20 Picture Books ! | No Time For Flash Cards'>reply to this comment
  3. 19 Car & Truck Crafts For Kids | No Time For Flash Cards - Play and Learning Activities For Babies, Toddlers and Kids says:
    July 17, 2012 at 11:24 pm

    […] Truck Letter r road Race Car Crafting with Dad Diaper Box Firetruck Shape Bulldozer Traffic Light Upcycled Mat Roadway School Bus Photo Craft Cereal Box Gas Pump Milk Carton Fire Station Recycled Vehicle Crayons […]

    to 19 Car & Truck Crafts For Kids | No Time For Flash Cards - Play and Learning Activities For Babies, Toddlers and Kids" aria-label='reply to this comment to 19 Car & Truck Crafts For Kids | No Time For Flash Cards - Play and Learning Activities For Babies, Toddlers and Kids'>reply to this comment
  4. car mats shout outs - A girl and a glue gun says:
    April 4, 2016 at 3:02 pm

    […] a color parking lot car mat by 733 blog man…this just makes my jaw drop! Tape village on the floor lil mop top fabric jean roads she just made some roads….so you can set it up […]

    to car mats shout outs - A girl and a glue gun" aria-label='reply to this comment to car mats shout outs - A girl and a glue gun'>reply to this comment
  5. Make Your Own Play Mat for Kids Pretend Play (with Paint Sticks) says:
    April 24, 2018 at 6:31 am

    […] an Upcycled Mat Roadway for Kids Cars (on No Time for […]

    to Make Your Own Play Mat for Kids Pretend Play (with Paint Sticks)" aria-label='reply to this comment to Make Your Own Play Mat for Kids Pretend Play (with Paint Sticks)'>reply to this comment

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