Canvas City

When I was little we had a canvas city that my brother and I drove all of our little cars on. My mom had made it. Bryan had one that his mom had made as well. When we knew we were having a boy, I knew eventually he would need a city too. I made one for my oldest when he was about two. I took it on a vacation along with a new pack of cars and it kept him entertained during down time while we were at the beach.
Here is how to do it:

• Buy a piece of canvas. The piece I bought is two yards.
• Hem the edges, so it doesn’t fray.
• Grab a pencil and draw streets, houses, a hospital, an airport, a park, a school, a police station + jail and any other buildings you want. I included the "Y" mountain, and some local stores - we lived in Springville at the time so I included Allen’s, the local grocery store; La Casita, a local Mexican restaurant; a local book store, a pizza place, an art museum, and where Bryan worked at the time: K-TEC. My kids wish that I would have included a gas station, and a church.
• Color the buildings. I think my mom used paint to do hers. I took the easy way out and bought some fabric markers from Wal-Mart.

The great things about this are that in our house, it provides endless hours of entertainment. All three of my kids use it all the time. It folds up, so it can be put away easily. We fold it and put it on top of the cars in their box. And finally, it is probably the most loved toy in the house and I will keep it and let my grand-kids play with it someday.

Have you made any toys for your kids? What are the most loved toys in your house?