Chalkboards

I'm a huge chalkboard fan. Having a chalkboard in your home is a fun way to bring artistic creativity into your child's life (and when there are accidents, chalk is easier to clean off furniture and walls than markers or crayons!)
Below is a picture of a chalkboard wall in Karuna's bedroom. I hung a bucket of chalk at her height for spontaneous artwork (or in this case, for our adult friends to have a little fun- thanks, Tom, for the huge portrait of Karuna!). I was initially worried about the dust, but as long as I use a wet rag to clean the floor and wall every once in a while, it hasn't been a problem.
I covered The entire wall with Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint, but there are also less dramatic ways to introduce chalk drawing into your home. If you'd like to paint a chalkboard surface directly onto your wall, but want something a little smaller, you can always cover only part of the wall with chalkboard paint. The chalkboard in this photo is painted below the wainscoting- for toddler's only!Another option for creating a chalkboard surface is to paint a framed board with chalkboard paint. This photo from the Hudson paint company shows one of their beautiful color options- an alternative to the basic black or green found at most paint stores. If you're in the neighborhood (Mill Valley) there's a new craft store on Miller ave. Called "Once Around" that carries a colorful variety of Hudson chalkboard paint.
If you can't paint your wall and don't want to bother making a framed chalkboard, you can buy a chalkboard decal that you stick to your wall and peel off when you need to move it. They come in fun shapes, like this gorilla- which I found at Modern Nursery.
For table-top chalkboards, you can get something like this from Offi, or you can just paint your own table-top with chalkboard paint!
So many fun ideas!