Chalkboard Placemats

For the kid's table this year, I've been searching for activities to occupy my rambunctious two year old son before Thanksgiving dinner.  However, the most common activities seems to involve crayons and coloring sheets.  Unfortunately, the second I turn away to take the stuffing out of the oven, my sweet boy will have toddler hieroglyphs drawn in crayon all over the kitchen wall.  He's a true artist at heart.  Thankfully crayon does wipe off so there's no harm done, but we just moved into a brand new house and I'm not quite ready to christen the freshly painted walls.  Don't worry, their time will come.  
    These placemats were created in hopes that the chalk would be a fun alternative to crayons and not quite as destructive.  I used an acrylic chalkboard paint (it's what I had on hand), however, next time I will do some additional homework and use a paint a little more suitable to the slick surface of the placemat.  To make the turkey drawing I used a marker specifically made for chalkboards.  Teachers, if you haven't seen these yet, you're missing out!  I used them when I was teaching and LOVED them. You can erase the chalk but whatever you draw with the marker stays in place until it's wiped away with a damp cloth.  So the kids can color and erase the turkey as many times as they like and this little gobbler will  stay in place.  
     This is one of the ideas I'll be keeping stored away for when I return to the classroom.  How easy would it be to create a classroom set of chalkboard placemats for everyday use?

Materials:
Kid's placemat ($0.97 at Wal-mart)
Chalkboard paint 
Chalk
Optional: Chalkboard marker 

Steps:
Simply follow the directions on the bottle/can to paint the placemat.  Let dry completely before using.  
Optional: Use a chalkboard marker to add a turkey or other fun Thanksgiving icon for the kids to color. 

Looking for more ideas for your kid's table this Thanksgiving?
Check out these adorable centerpieces and juice boxes.