Coating Stops Bleed Through
The white kraft paper carries a protective coating, which is what allows markers and paint to be used instead of only crayons. Color stays on the surface rather than soaking through to the wood, and a wet brush does not leave a soft patch that tears. Spills bead on the coating long enough to be wiped, so a knocked cup is not the end of the drawing.
Covers The Kids Table
Fifty-four by eighty-eight inches takes a standard folding table end to end, which is usually where the younger cousins are seated anyway. Everyone at that table has space in front of them, and the sheet reaches far enough over the edges that plates can be set down on it once the food comes out. Adults nearby can see the whole thing at a glance.
Turkeys And Cornucopias
The print is a Thanksgiving scene with turkeys, pumpkins, cornucopias and lettering worked into the design, so there is something to color at every seat rather than one busy area and a lot of blank paper. Older children look for details to fill in; younger ones take the big shapes. It also gives a table of relative strangers something to talk about.
Rolled Up As Keepsake
When the plates are cleared the sheet is rolled from one end and carried out whole, taking the crumbs, the crayon marks and the cranberry with it. Some families write the year on a corner and keep it, which turns a stack of them into a record of who was at the table. Either way the cleanup is one motion and the table underneath is untouched.
