Tutorial: Roll-up Felt Hundred Mat

We have a laminated cardstock hundred grid that works with our number tiles, and I've recently realized that I can make some sturdy yet disposable hundred grids pretty easily from cardboard record album covers, but I was also wanting a hundred grid that would look nicer longer, and be easier to toss in my backpack for trips to the library or park to do schoolwork.

So I made one!

You make this hundred mat around the number tiles that you already own, so first you've got to make them. We have a set of clear one-inch number tiles that were great for matching to a printed hundred grid when the kids were littler, but now that they're older (AND have lost a couple of those tiles, sigh), I've made them a couple of sets of upcycled cardboard number tiles that are the same size, so they can be interchangeable. I've long wanted to make a set of number tiles out of Scrabble tiles, but I think their inevitable loss might break my heart, so...

Measure out the grid AROUND the tiles, so that when your kiddo puts a number tile on the grid, they'll still be able to see the border around the tile. A little extra space is always good for those fumbly kid fingers, anyway. For me, this meant measuring at one inch + 1 centimeter, and I still did a lot of double-checking:

Notice that I measured and drew this grid in chalk. I didn't end up making a mistake in my measuring, but if I did--chalk equals second chances!

When you've got the grid drawn out, get out a tiny paintbrush and some fabric paint, and carefully paint over your grid:

And that's it! You can roll up your mat, you can wash it, and you can play with it on the carpet:

I remember when Syd was first learning how to find numbers on the hundred grid, and now we're using it for multiplication and division. Ah, time...