Transform a playground, backyard, driveway, or parking lot with an easy do-it-yourself map of the United States. The geographically and proportionately accurate layout turns an ordinary surface into an engaging place to teach, learn, move, and play. The contiguous United States covers an area of 16' x 27', with separate Alaska and Hawaii sections included.
Enhance your school's playground with our United States Map Stencil, a dynamic educational tool that transforms ordinary play areas into interactive learning environments. This proportionally accurate stencil spans 16 feet by 27 feet, providing a vibrant visual aid for teaching geography and social studies. Students can engage in activities that reinforce their knowledge of state locations, capitals, and regional characteristics, making learning both fun and impactful.
Beyond its educational benefits, the USA Map Stencil promotes physical activity and social interaction among students. Incorporating movement-based learning encourages children to explore the map, participate in group games, and develop teamwork skills. The stencil is designed for easy application, making it an ideal project for community volunteers or school groups looking to enhance their playground with a meaningful addition.
- Easy to Apply
- Fun Group Activity
- Great Eagle Project
- Playground Tested
- Proportionately Accurate
- Includes scale size and smaller size Alaska
What Comes in the Kit
- Eight-section USA map stencil: Heavy-grade paper sections use pre-punched guide holes to define detailed state borders and all five Great Lakes.
- Alaska and Hawaii: Includes Hawaii plus both a proportionally scaled Alaska and a smaller Alaska option for sites with limited space.
- Instructions and paint specifications: Step-by-step guidance helps volunteers organize the layout and painting process.
- Five-color guide: Shows which states use each color so neighboring states do not share the same color.
- “Walk to Australia” activity packet: Despite its title, the included movement and learning ideas are designed for use with both the USA and World Map stencils.
Turn the Playground into a Cross-Curricular Classroom
The finished map supports much more than memorizing state locations. Teachers, families, and youth groups can build lessons and games around several subjects:
- Geography: Add rivers, mountain ranges, lakes, deserts, and regional features.
- Government and civics: Mark state capitals, major cities, regions, and political boundaries.
- Economics: Explore dams, major crops, products, industries, and natural resources.
- Science: Plot ecosystems, species habitats, weather patterns, and animal or bird migration routes.
- History: Trace explorer routes, historic landmarks, migration paths, and former territorial borders.
Plan an Organized Volunteer Paint Day
Ursa Major's example installation was painted by four adults and ten students in grades 2–4 in about three hours. Treat that as a planning benchmark rather than a guarantee: preparation, surface condition, weather, number of coats, border work, and the Alaska option can change the schedule. For an efficient group project, assign one team or volunteer to each paint color, give every team a copy of the color guide, and reserve detail brushes for the smaller Northeastern states and borders.
Made with a Mission
Ursa Major Stencils is a Bridgeway Business. Its products are manufactured, packaged, and fulfilled by Veterans and Persons with Disabilities, adding a meaningful service-centered story to school, PTA, PTO, and Eagle Scout projects.
The Perfect Eagle Scout Service Project or PTA Fundraiser
Looking for Eagle Scout project ideas for elementary schools or a visible PTA-funded campus improvement? This USA map gives volunteers a clear, organized project with a lasting educational result. A small team can lay out and mark the stencil, assign paint colors, and complete the installation over a weekend. It is a natural fit for Eagle Scout service projects, PTA and PTO improvement days, school beautification events, and community volunteer projects.
Bring Geography Indoors
Winter weather does not have to put the project on hold. With enough clear floor space, the stencil can also create an interactive geography feature in a cafeteria, gymnasium, multipurpose room, or community-center basement. For indoor installations, use low-odor, low-VOC paint specifically approved by the facility manager and the flooring manufacturer for that exact surface; a compatible gym-floor or concrete-floor coating may be appropriate. Use chalk rather than aerosol paint to transfer the stencil unless indoor spraying is expressly approved, provide ventilation, test the coating in an inconspicuous area, and follow the paint manufacturer's preparation and curing instructions so the floor finish and warranty are protected.
What You Need to Buy
Paint is not included. For one complete USA map, plan on the following:
- Four state colors: 1 gallon of each color (4 gallons total). For concrete, use exterior 100% acrylic concrete-and-porch paint. For asphalt, use acrylic traffic or parking-lot striping paint.
- Great Lakes: 1 quart of blue paint in the same surface-appropriate type.
- State borders and layout: 4 cans of white inverted marking/striping spray paint. Black may be used instead if it provides better contrast.
- Application supplies: 4 rolls of heavy-duty painter's tape, brushes or small rollers for the states, sponge/detail brushes for borders and small Northeastern states, paint trays, stir sticks, rags, and knee pads.
Coverage varies by surface. Rough or older unsealed asphalt absorbs more paint, so purchase extra if the pavement is especially porous. The kit includes a color guide showing which states use each color.
Basic Instructions (more detailed instructions included in package)
1) Find a location to accommodate 27 ft wide by 16 ft high.
2) Clean surface.
3) Unroll stencil sections 1 and 2.
4) Apply tape.
5) Unroll remaining stencil sections
6) Chalk or paint holes.
7) Paint the map.
Note for Schools: All orders must be prepaid via check, money order, credit card, etc - we don't accept unpaid school purchase orders with payment terms for this item.
