Easels

[raynjen]

I know a lot of you have had easels now for almost a year. Can you tell me which ones are holding up and which I should avoid? Also, does anyone have specific knowledge of the Little Tikes Mission style easel (wooden one)?

Thanks,

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle
Ohmygosh, she's three!

[jadamom]

We have the Little Tikes Double Easel in red plastic with a plastic clip for paper on one side and a plastic chalkboard on the other. It's functional, durable, not too expensive, cleans up well, and matches all of her other Little Tikes stuff. She loves it.

http://littletikes.com/toys/Toys-Detail.aspx?Product_ID=2550&Description=Double+Easel&ProductCategory=easel

[MelissaTC]

We have this one from Lillian Vernon and it has been great.



http://mirror.lillianvernon.com/prodimages/FullImage/10303_f.jpg

[km]

I recently purchased this for my daughter's 2nd birthday.

I solicited input about useful/useless easel options and didn't seem to generate much of discussion.

Given we've had only one weeks use of this, Im not sure its quite the feedback you're looking for, but I'll give you my reactions
1 - easy to put together - because its wood, you need to get out the screw driver, might take half an hour, very clear directions, predrilled holes line up nicely, etc.

2 - BIG. This thing is large, doesnt fold. I think its beautiful, but if you want something compact, this is not it (and its not like you could remove on screw and collapse it, you would really need to take it apart)

3 - Sturdy. This thing is stable.

4 - Options - dry erase board on one side with magnetic clip for paper, blackboard on opposite side. I havent given daughter dry erase markers yet so cant comment on that. THe clip is sturdy, holds a single piece of paper well (if you can imagine, its actually a piano hinge along a board that holds one side of the magnet, other side of magnet is imbedded in the board, so the paper is held continuously across the top rather than one point in the center). It would be better designed if they put a clip on each side, so you could have two children with paper (coloring or painting). Neither board is magnetic (not sure how much it would be used, but for the price wouldve preferred the option).

5. Tray - there is a tray for utensils on each side. It is sturdy, but it is curved. I dont think paints would 'balance' well on this tray - ie, you'd have lots of paint spills on your hands. I dont plan to do much painting, so not a big deal to me, but if you wanted paints, you may want something with a flat tray. Also, there is no tray 'between' the boards as Ive seen on others (so you can put lots of supplies on a flat shelf...thats not part of this design).

So far, its a huge hit, but everything is for the first week. We'll see if it has longevity, but I am very pleased with it.

[raynjen]

Thanks! I WOULD like to hear in a month or so how you feel about it. My DH is leaning towards the painted Little Tikes one (Hudson Line) as he feels that this will coordinate better with the white bedroom furniture we intend to buy when we return to the States. I, on the other hand, feel that the Mission style will look better sitting out in our dining room area (only place with cleanable flooring).

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to a wonderful preschooler,
who just turned three, Noelle!

[hjdong]

We have the Ikea one. DS was too short for it for a long time. But now he loves it. I love that it was really cheap and is holding up well. My only wish is that we had finished it so that the areas he drew on the wood could be easily cleaned.

Just a hint in general for mom's with easels. I've given DS soap crayons to use with the whiteboard. I don't have to give him markers, if (o.k., when) he writes on the floor or bed, it cleans easily, it comes off the whiteboard easily, I don't have to worry about him putting the cap back on or getting it on his clothes, I don't have to keep pulling the paper for him, and I can leave the crayons out for him and he doesn't have to be supervised to use them.

HTH,