I know my response is a bit late on this topic but here it goes. I was
having problem with figuring out what surface to have the kids work on. I
tried the table it left a film for days. Then I tried Styrofoam trays from
the cafeteria but I was left with a big pile at the end of the day. I bought
a shower curtain liner from the dollar store and cut it up.
I now have the kids work on that surface. It takes up less space and my
tables are cleaner. Although when rolling coils it does slide a bit too much
so they build on the plastic and roll on the table until I come up with a
better solution.