MunchMats educational and interactive learning placemats have my kids completely engaged in what I would call “school work that’s fun.” They are essentially a version of what restaurants sometimes provide — disposable paper activity sheets that double as placemats. But MunchMats are full-color and bursting with outstandingly-designed curriculum and learning objectives. MunchMats are sold in sets of 30 original sheets for 3 different age groups and 3 different themes: colors, shapes, letters and numbers for ages 3-6; the alphabet for ages 4-7; and U.S. geography for ages 8-12. As you can imagine, in the 3-6 year-old placemats, there is a lot of tracing of letters and numbers encouraged, along with coloring, counting and number sequencing activities, word searches, mazes and much more. In the alphabet-themed MunchMats for ages 4-7, there’s a great Pictionary Matching game, where a word definition can be read by your grandchildren (or you can read it to them). They then draw a line from the definition to the picture of the word, and then a line from the picture to the actual word. There are also fun fill-in-the-blanks activities, hidden picture puzzles, rhyming activities, and on and on. Regarding the geography-themed mats for ages 8-12, combing through each of the sheets is like taking a virtual cross-country trip (complete with great pictures) with a lot of extra information, such as facts about each region, famous landmarks, map-reading (including latitude and longitude), state abbreviations, common road signs, locations of famous people and events, etc. Each MunchMats 30-pack is printed using vegetable ink, and comes with a parent (or grandparent) lesson plan, a review page, and certificate of completion. It also comes with a large sturdy plastic zip-lock carrying case for storage in the car, at home, etc. I can think of so many uses for MunchMats. Aside from simply encouraging quiet learning time at home, they are invaluable for travel, in restaurants, etc. You can even tear off a sheet or two, fold it up and keep it in your purse for when the need arises. For an additional $12.95, you can purchase a MunchMats lap board that enables your grandchild to work on the activities in the car, on a plane, or anywhere where a table is not available. This is such a great opportunity for many hours of interactive learning time with your grandchild — and it’s fun!