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Trim the canvas with scissors to 60 by 60 inches square. To create a starting point for laying out the town, we placed an 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of paper on the mat at an angle and slightly off-center, then outlined it with chalk. Next, we chalked a line extending out from each corner of the paper as shown.
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If you want to include any large landmarks, such as a pond, park, barnyard, or field, use the chalk to outline those shapes now. To make our soccer field, we traced around an 11- by 17-inch sheet of paper.
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With the chalk, lightly sketch a centerline for each road. So you can easily draw roads that are a consistent width, push 2 pencils through a Styrofoam block, 2 1/2 inches apart. Then use this tool to outline the roads, straddling the chalk guidelines as shown. (The chalk will easily wear off later.)
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Have your child pencil in buildings and other details, such as a garden, animals, or a fence. Keep in mind that you'll be trimming the mat with bias tape, so anything too close to the edge will get covered.
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Before continuing, cover your work surface with a plastic tablecloth. Now, with the fabric-paint markers, let your child color in the buildings and other items he's drawn. Once the paint is dry, outline the buildings, roads, and other details with a black fabric-paint marker.
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Add grass by sponging on green acrylic paint. When the grass is dry, use a paintbrush or marker to add a few final touches, such as trees and flowers.
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Keep the mat from fraying by trimming the edges with bias tape. To do so, apply tacky glue to one side of the inside of a piece of bias tape, a small section at a time, and press the canvas onto the glue, as shown.
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Finish sealing the edge by applying glue to a small section of the top of the mat and then folding over and pressing the other side of the bias tape to it. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other 3 edges of the play mat. Let it dry flat overnight.
