Train Table Chalkboard

A few Christmases ago, the kids received a train table from Santa. It has two panels that flip over and on one side, they are both a green chalkboard and on the other sides one is a white erase board while the other is for chess/checkers. They still love it but the chalkboard side was cheaply made, neon green, and started peeling after only a few uses. So, the kids stopped using the chalkboard side.What a waste. So, I decided to repaint it. After ordering a can of  Rust-oleum Chalkboard Paint at our local hardware store, we were ready to go.

What we used:

Rust-oleum Chalkboard Paint (I chose BLACK but they did offer another color as well)
Sponge Brush
Wood Stick (for stirring the paint)
Newspaper
Chalk

Now What?

I chose to paint the panels while on our deck. So, I laid the panels on the newspapers there,  After opening the paint, I found that it took a lot of stirring to get it mixed evenly. Then I just painted the panels and left them to dry.

The paint recommends 4 hours between the first and second coat. Since I did this at night, I just waited until the next morning to paint it again. The paint then needs to dry for 3 days. Once the 3 days were over, I conditioned the panels by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the entire painted surfaces

and then wiped it off with a fabric wipe which will be used as the kids chalkboard eraser.

Before:
(of course I forgot to take a picture of it peeled and with chalk
 caked on it so this is from when they first got it.)

After:

Family Crossword Canvas

 

While the younger kids were napping this afternoon, Little Bear and I made a crossword canvas for in the living room. Pequeño woke up before we had decided whether or not we were going to color in the letters so for now, it's black and white.

Handprints on Canvas

While we were waiting for Papa Bear to come home this morning, the kids and I decided to do a quick craft. Since I had some small canvas frames left, we made a new decoration for their playroom.

What we used:

Canvas Frame
Acrylic Paint
Paint Sponge
Paint Brush

(And wet washcloths for clean up!)

Now What?

Starting with Little Bear, I painted one child's hand and then had them press it in the spot that we had chosen for them.(Obviously I had to press Pequeño's hand for him.) It was easiest to do top to bottom and oldest to youngest so that we didn't have any smudges or run out of space.

Once the handprints dried, I wrote each of their names on the side of their handprint.