Did you know this existed?

I always though chalkboards were actual sheets of ... rock? drywall? But it turns out there's a paint for this. How cool is that? You slap a coat of paint on something, and not only does it have this really great black, matte finish, but you can write on it too!

Available from two brands at least: Rust-Oleum at Home Depot and Benjamin Moore. Probably available your local home improvement store.

How freaking cool is this globe? It's awesomely unexpected, and maybe you could do this with an umbrella stand or a trash can?

For a larger scale sort of thing, could paint a sheet of plywood and lean it against a wall like in Stata.