Art and Activity

 

When we first moved into our apartment, we decided to turn the third bedroom into a playroom for the kids. I spent hours searching Pinterest and Houzz for decorating inspiration. I had always loved whimsical accents, such as a wall painted like a blackboard or a giant, interactive bulletin board. However, the teacher in me was a bit weary of pastel chalk dust coating our brand new carpet, and pushpins were not an option for two infants.

We were aware that we had to maximize every inch of space in our new home, having two kids in Manhattan. I was searching for something similarly interactive to my original ideas and also stylish enough to be called decor.

I decided on an extra-large magnetic board for the room, and I purchased jumbo magnets of all themes for their tiny hands.

Since then, I have used the magnetic board to teach them everything from the alphabet, to animal sounds, and to even showcase special family pictures and display their growing number of birthday invitations. We have even begun collecting magnets from our vacations over the past two years. It has been the best multipurpose item that I bought for the house, plus it looks like its own work of abstract art when scattered with bright plastic numbers, letters, and other shapes and objects. It also rid my need for a bulky easel board, which would be just another item of furniture to help overfill our apartment.

The board hangs centered on a small wall below two sets of shelves, just within reach of the kids who use it on a daily basis. It has been a joy to watch them grow and interact with the piece as they develop their fine motor skills, as well as reading and counting.

While it may not be the dramatic black wall of chalkboard that I had originally imagined, it is neat (relatively) and polished, and a great dual purpose decor item for city living.