Take an existing placemat for the template and a corrugated cardboard box. Trace the placemat on the box, and cut out for the base.

Pick out a fabric swatch that you want to use for your placemat, and cut out using the placemat template you created.

Spray adhesive on the cardboard and cover it with the fabric. Take a dinner plate, soup bowl, salad plate, cup, salad and dinner fork, knife, soup spoon and teaspoon and use these as templates to cut shapes out of construction paper. As an added step, write the names of the dishes and utensils on each piece, then glue them down to the fabric covered mat. Finish it off by covering with clear contact paper to make it water resistant (you can wipe it off if something spills).

Some ideas: He chose camouflage fabric for his cover, then used black and green paper for dishes/utensils. To label the black items, he took off white paper and colored with some brown to look "camouflage-like" and used this for labels. Also, used this for the napkin (don't forget this!!)

He enjoyed making them and has been setting the table happily ever since.

Mary Hargitt is a homeschooling Mom of a 5 1/2 year old boy who is her inspiration for a lot of the craft ideas that they do. Mary enjoys scrapbooking, teaching classes and holding workshops on this as well.