We combined learning with style by installing some large pull down classroom maps for our homeschool room. Find out where we got them and what is behind them!
What started as a major DIY fail, ended up pretty amazing. We love having these roll down maps for learning since we started homeschooling.
They make a major design statement in this creative space! Plus, they’re layered up with a white board so it provides maximum opportunity!
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Let me first give you a nice look at these two roll down classroom maps. We have a world map and a map of the United States.
World Map
First, we have this world map with some darker bolder colors.
I love how it is made to look vintage but does a really good job at visually separating the continents, countries, states, etc.
The labeling is detailed but is still very easy to find the places you are looking for.
I feel like it is a beautiful and very educational piece of art!
United States Map
Then I also got a USA map, also distressed and muted to look slightly vintage.
We like being able to take a closer look at states, counties, cities and all the details in the country we live in.
How We Use the Maps
Behind the maps, we actually installed a white board, which is so much fun for all of us.
We simply got a sheet of whiteboard material from Home Depot and trimmed the edge with some wood trim and painted it.
I do have a degree in secondary education. Even though I am not in a traditional school, this whiteboard and map combo sure makes me feel legit.
The kids have a lot of fun drawing and playing games on this board! Of course, we use it to demonstrate math figures, write meaningful quotes, and practice some memorizations. A win-win in my book.
Our DIY Fail Creating our own Classroom Pull Down Map
Before I tell you all about where we got the maps, let me first tell you about how we tried to DIY our own big rolling map. It was the biggest DIY fail we have probably ever had.
We thought we could join two cheap blinds, tape them down the center and use a long wood dowel to join them together at the rolling mechanisms.
Well, that seemed to work so we started applying the wallpaper with wallpaper glue. It was a shifting, twisting, bubbling nightmare – to say the least.
Once we tried to get it on the wall, it was clear our little makeshift super-large-joined-together-roller-blind-thingy was not going to work. It would sag, get stuck, the rollers would snap…
Don’t get me wrong, I have seen a lot of awesome and successful DIY map art projects on the web. If you hope to create your own, I just want to be sure you don’t try what we did and waste your time and money.
I kept looking for a solution and determined something that would be such a useful tool in my kids educational experience was worth buying.
Where to Buy Classroom Pull Down Maps
I discovered this Etsy shop called Big World Maps or Mondo Mappa. They have a huge selection of maps to choose from and I was smitten.
To top it off, they were able to customize the size I wanted and allow me to layer more than one map.
I have a little word of warning, they have some vintage looking maps that I really loved.
But at a closer look, the names and labels were in the language of the country, or just really outdated. It was important to find one that would be a good reference and look beautiful.
The rich color of the print is pleasing to the eye. Plus, the maps are printed on a high-quality canvas.
The rolling mechanisms work flawlessly even with the weight and length of the maps. I just know these will last for a long time!
I hope you enjoyed seeing our roll down maps! Is there a space in your home for your own large map? I’d love to hear where you would put one.
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I also really like world maps as wall decoration. About 10 years ago I bought an old classroom pull-down map at a yard sale. Definitely something funky going on with some of the names of the countries, but it is still great art in my opinion 🙂
There’s just something really intriguing about maps, isn’t there?
Love the nostalgia yours have. Love it.
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I also want to use marble or butcher block to upgrade some IKEA Havsta cabinets too! I love how you upgraded them to Downton Abbey style 🙂
I love your home and everything you have done! I really love educational art too and was inspired by you to hide our flat screen TV in the recessed wall behind the hanging maps. I want to have a desk or two below the map for homework and writing/sewing space.
What size did you order for each map and where do you store your computers in the home? Do you have laptops to be easily stowed away or another space for a desktop computer?
Thank you for your inspiring ideas!
Gorgeous! We are a family that LOVES maps. There are about 15-20 globes in our entryway, and big framed maps cover an almost indecent amount of wall in our basement, but oh to have some huge roll-downs! And covering a whiteboard? Genius! I’m envious! 😁
That’s so cool! We actually bought a hand drawn map of the original territory of Texas. While not a roll down or as large as yours, it’s a pretty good size. It’s framed and hanging in our living room. There’s just something really intriguing about maps, isn’t there? Love the nostalgia yours have. Love it.
😊 Cecilia