merka United States Map Placemat - 17 x 11 in, Laminated, Multicolor - Reusable Kids Dining Mat with Secure Backing & State Capitals Map

I bought this placemat as a tool to help my 5th grader memorize his USA states & capitals. This product is made well and I love the non slip backing. Print and color on the front is child (and adult) friendly and fun to use as a teaching tool. My 5th grader has to memorize all of the US capitals & states for his 4th quarter memorization piece. He can now practice each day during breakfast or dinner time. I love this product so much I actually bought the Merka 4 pack (US States, World Map, Solar System, Human Body) so that I can give the US States & Capitals to his 5th grade teacher to use in class. My 4 children love taking turns eating at different placemats at our kitchen table each day. I'm considering purchasing another 4 pack to use in my Kindergarten classroom at my back reading table to help reteach lesson content we've covered in class (solar system, 5 Senses, World Map for Missions Week). As a mother of 4 (ages 7-14) and a Kindergarten teacher, I highly recommend this product!

These are better than expected. Perfect for teaching kids their states and interesting facts at dinner time.

My middle school daughter didnt know all the states or capitals. Her older brothers were appalled at her lack of schooling. So I bought this and we had our own trivia night at dinner. She played a game the last day of school and proudly said she was the only one in her class that knew all the states and capitals on a map. Not sure if that's a great reflection of her school district or not but a win as a mom. We are now looking for any and all educational placemats.

Perfect learning tool

Bought for my twin grandchildren who just turned 4. They were about to go on a long road trip through several states. This helped them see where they were going.

We took our granddaughters to the ocean and wanted to show them how we got there and why it took so long to get there. Perfect.

Overall, the placemat is fine and serves its educational purpose. Unfortunately, though, there is this mild adhesive on the backside that slowly flakes off over time. I understand they applied it to add a slight tackiness to the mat so it doesn’t slide around on the dinner table, but it’s so annoying that I would rather there be no adhesive at all. I have 3 of these mats and it’s taken months for each one to slowly shed its layer of glue. I tried scrubbing and washing the mat in the sink with dawn soap, which did NOT expedite the shedding process much. You just have to wait it out. These are a good visual to teach states and capitals, but just know that you will constantly see and clean up tiny, tacky pieces of glue that flake off all over the dining table for many months.

Kids love learning while waiting for meals