Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
by Melissa & Doug
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List Price: Our Price: $33.49 You Save: $46.50 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $32.95 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
Customer Review: I would buy it again and again!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am so pleased that I chose this easel. For Christmas this past year, I searched for the perfect easel for our 2 year old daughter. I almost passed this one up because of reviews from several years ago concerning the quality of the chalkboard. My daughter loves to draw with sidewalk chalk and knew that the easel I bought must have a great chalkboard. And this one delivers! The chalkboard we recieved is wonderful. She uses not only the triangular chalk from the M&D easel kit but also regular sidewalk chalk. It has not scratched, erases beautifully, and when washed clean with a wet paper towel looks brand new.
I looked at many easels (most of which were twice the price of this one) and loved that this one was height adjustable. On the lowest setting it is the perfect height for my 2 year old daughter who is 34 inches tall.
The only thing that I have noticed is that the dry erase board does not erase as smoothly and completely as others. I have to push fairly hard to erase the marks. I'm not sure if it is the markers we are using (Foohy washable dry erase markers and the marker that came with the M&D easel kit) or if it could be the eraser (from the kit) or both. Regardless, for us we use that side so much less often than the chalkboard so it is not an issue.
Overall for the price point, I could not be happier and am very pleased with my selection. I would definitely purchase this easel again.
Customer Review: Perfect toy for every child, including special education
Summary: 5 Stars
This should be one of the number one toys or educational toys on the list for children of all aptitudes. There aren't too many children who are not enraptured with doing their own freestyle drawings on an easel. Every Pre-K child I've worked with has thrived and been thrilled with painting or drawing their own artwork on an easel set up such as Melissa and Doug's Standing Easel.
If you buy this at home or for the classroom, buy plastic aprons as well. Clean up is easy, but children can get themselves stained with colors if you don't have an apron.
Also, Melissa and Doug products for early childhood are all of good quality and well thought out, from my experience in the early childhood classroom.
Recommended for special education children also of all types, including children with ADHD and autistic children. Children sometimes benefit from guided painting, e.g. draw/paint the outline of an elephant and allow them to use their imagination to fill in the details, without guiding their painting. This is a number one on the list toy for 99% of children. Buy children's water paints and brushes and you have a beginner's painting easel as well.
Please see:
Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator's Guidebook
Customer Review: Excellent design, poor manufacturing
Summary: 3 Stars
This art easel is a great design. My three girls love it. However, I perhaps got a lemon.
1. The chalkboard just "doesn't work." As another reviewer mentioned, I think it needs a coat of chalkboard paint. I don't think I should have to go out and buy chalkboard paint, though. I'd hoped it would work out of the box...
2. The chalkboard and dry erase board on our unit overlap the easel legs on one side by about 1/2 inch. This created a problem wherein the red side pieces would not fit properly because they must clear the chalkboard / dry erase board in order to be properly attached.
3. This morning, the hinged wooden pieces gave way where the hinge screws go in to the wood. The easel was just standing there, minding its own business, when it collapsed and the screws went flying.
4. The holes where the bottom leg sections attach to the top hinged leg sections do not line up properly. Our unit ended up assembled with the bolts going through at an angle as a result.
I would not tell anyone to not purchase this product... but I would recommend checking it over for manufacturing defects once you get it.
Hopefully, the one we got was just a lemon. I cannot imagine that the Melissa and Doug crew would look at this particular unit and say "everything's fine... ship it."
Customer Review: Great Easel!
Summary: 5 Stars
I did some research before purchasing this easel for my son's 2nd Bday. I wanted something durable,fun and would be age appropriate for a 2 & 6yr old. Reading some of the other reviews of this easel I was a little sceptical, however it had all the items I was looking for. Plus it was one of the ONLY easels that adjusted to height. All I can say is I'm glad I ignored the negative comments and bought this. For those of you on the fence let me tell you we've had NO problems with the chalkboard. We did buy the Melissa and Doug easel pack, just so we would have everything ready to rock for his BDay surprise. You do need to buy "soft" chalk, crayola sidewalk chalk works great. The other issues some people had were with the dry erase board and tearing off the paper. We honestly haven't used the dry board yet. I'm not a big fan of the smell of the pens, however we have painted several pics and haven't had any problem tearing off and pulling the paper down.
Another concern I read about was the fact that the easel could be taken apart easily. That is true. The screws can come off with little hands, however we have found a way to prevent this. It's a new phrase: "no touching". It seems to work well in our house.
I would definately reccomend this product to anyone with a little Rembrandt on their hands! We LOVE it!
Customer Review: pointless, go elsewhere
Summary: 2 Stars
My daughter was having a really hard time learning to read and write, however she loves art snd crafts especially drawing and painting. I thought this would be perfect for her. I bought magnetic word poetry for her to use on the chalkboard side, and bought a whole bunch of dry erase markers for writing and spelling on the whiteboard. First, when I open the box from amazon, there was water damage on the casing of the whiteboard and chalkboard that seeped through so much that there was a bubble on the bottom of the whiteboard and the back of it still felt wet, though it had to happen before shipping because nothing else was touched. Needless to say, the water mark is permanent. Then I find the chalkboard wasn't magnetic and not only that, but it wasn't even a real chalkboard! Painting a piece of cardboard green does not make it a chalkboard and this one certainly doesn't work like one. At least, I thought, she'll be able to use the whiteboard. Until I wrote her name on it and had to really scrub it down with the eraser to get it off. When she tried to use it, she couldn't erase anything on her own. So what did I pay for exactly? A bunch of damaged pieces of wood that I had to put together myself for an hour only to feel like I wasted a lot of good money on a poorly made product. Very disappointed. Go elsewhere! Believe me!