best way to use this wall space

[lmh2402]

we went to a playdate today and the house had a wall space in one of the hallways that was a chalkboard. them mom had a bucket of chalk sitting there. and g was in love

we've got some wall space right near the kitchen that i think would be perfect for something like that

but, i was thinking that maybe there's a way to have space for a chalkboard and then maybe something that would hold big pieces of paper so he could paint or color or something.

does anyone have suggestions for specific products or brands? or ideas for how to make them most, "funnest" use of some wall space about 44" wide?

thanks

[zag95]

We have some corkboard from Target- I think it was like $6 for 4 squares.... and I have that as a "board" in our kitchen, for DD to post up artwork etc. YOu could do something like that above, and the chalkboard paint below for your DS to be "creative".

[zephyr]

I think painting the whole wall, ceiling to floor would look really cool. You could write reminders, lists, etc. for yourself on top and the bottom would be for your dc. That's what we have at my house. The chalk is kept in a small box in a drawer. If you have space, an easel would be fun to put in that corner as well.

[katydid1971]

They also sell magnetic paint. I would paint the magnetic paint first then top it with the chalkboard paint. FWIW, Martha Stewart has a way to change any paint into chalkboard paint, I haven't tried it but it looks cool.
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/make-custom-color-chalkboard-paint

[nmosur]

I got the lower half of one of my garage walls painted with chalkboard paint. And in the middle of the chalkboard I have a white board installed - bought and cut to size at Home Depot and then screwed into the wall.

[edurnemk]

A coworker, whose DD is a few months older than my DS, painted a whole wall with chalkboard paint when her DD turned 2, but then her DD thought it was OK to paint in ANY wall. I had also thought of doing it but after talking to her, we both came to the conclusion that it might be a better idea for slightly older kids who can consistently follow directions and of course understand the difference between that wall and the rest of the walls in the house.

So we got an M&D easel for DS, it's chalkboard on one side, dry erase board on the other, and also has a roll of paper.

[tiapam]

I really like the Wallies vinyl chalkboard decals:

http://www.wallies.com/chalkboard-pages-18.php

We have the house and trees under some windows near the play kitchen. I have a running stripe for me (so up high) in the kitchen. If you are fine with other materials getting on the wall itself then I think it's fine to set that up. Just consider what else is around there, like furniture, as it could get in the line of fire. That is why I like the chalk, it cleans up off the walls pretty well. I avoid dry erase because I don't want my kids running around with those markers.

They also have decals for wall play:

http://www.wallies.com/wall-play-pages-1069.php

If you want to hang stuff up after creating (or use as an "easel") what about bulldog clips? Or clothes pins?

[Neatfreak]

I really like the Wallies vinyl chalkboard decals:

If you want to hang stuff up after creating (or use as an "easel") what about bulldog clips? Or clothes pins?

Yeah! I have clothes pegs affixed to one of our walls via the 3M Command Hook tabs. It's pretty simple, but it does the job!

[larig]

You could mount this to the wall to hold the paper roll, maybe?
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10149350

[AbbysMom]

I need major work in my playroom and have been researching a lot lately. I found these yesterday:

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/schoolhouse-utility-decor/?pkey=rromplyart