Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Art Easel - Dry-Erase Board, Chalkboard, Paper Roller

after returning an easel that my daughter received for her 4th birthday to our arts and craft chain store michael's, i was more than impressed with this. the other one was 20 bucks cheaper, but that extra money we spent on this was more than worth it. the other one was not as height adjustable and was poorly designed in that easel paper by the roll will just barely NOT fit and it did not fold up for storage as the package clearly stated. it was also rougher wood that didn't look like it would last. also this one just looks a little nicer. the trays are nicer and deeper. it folds up easily. it is held together by fun looking plastic wing nuts on the bolts that are easy to manipulate so adjusting the height or folding it up or taking off the easel paper roll, etc, is VERY easy. i do wish the chalk board or dry erase was magnetized, but i think we will just paint of the chalkboard side with magnetic chalkboard paint. one suggestion i do have for parents is that overall the roll of easel paper isn't the highest quality and it is expensive compared to sketch pads. you often can't use both sides, especially if your kid uses watercolors or just colors heavy with markers, and if they are left to their own devices while you say, make dinner or lay a baby down for a nap, you might just come into a room with 12 feet of paper rolled out across the room and just barely painted on every 18 inches or so rendering it almost obsolete as they can't paint on the other side and might refuse to use up the other blank spaces, despite your most convincing arguments to the remainder's capacity for artistic endeavors. i bought some recycled paper sketch pads for a little cheaper than these rolls and the paper is much higher quality, it has a bit more texture and is thicker, and we use both sides. using sheets of paper makes me want to use magnets to hold it up, as clipping it on to the top where there is a wooden piece running across leaves a space where my daughter cannot color and she gets frustrated if she tries to draw something up there and her crayon pokes through or makes an uneven line. i actually just removed that wooden slat so that it is even where i clip up her paper. i actually just moved it to her room and folded it up and laid it against the wall so it takes up less space. it seems pretty sturdy there, though i would like my husband to fashion something to keep it in place, just in case. it is very height adjustable. i have it on a lower setting, but not the lowest, even though my daughter is 4 years old and 42" tall. our one and a half year old can sort of use it at this height, but could definitely utilize it at the bottom height. you could of course put the different sides at different heights. i could see it lasting until a child is 8 or 9. overall this is a bit more expensive than some of the cheaper easels you see around, but it is way nicer and certainly worth the extra 20 bucks. this one is not only nicer looking, it has better thought out features and is very sturdy. many kids will love it for many years :) highly recommend.

It's really a good toy with a few minor problems. My kids really do love it and my 4 year old has started writing her ABC's since she got it. The problems are: hard to assemble and the chalk board is pure cr*p. Don't expect to be able to use chalk board even after you do the break-in procedure. I ended up buy a can of chalk-board paint and repainting the chalk board part. It's a lot better now, but too darn bad I had to go through all of that in the first place. The dry-erase board is fine and the plastic cups are great to hold all the chalk, markers and erasers. (None of that comes with the board, you have to purchase all of that separately.) My husband finally got it put together after some cussing, but now it's a great toy and was not very expensive. Seems sturdy enough and has adjustable height levels which will keep it usable as your kids grow taller. My 4 and 6 year olds almost get into fights over who gets to use what side of it so it is a hit with kids. UPDATE: 10.25.14 - My kids are much older now, but they still have this easel in their bedroom and frequently write on it, especially the dry/erase board. As long as I supply them with dry/erase markers they will write song lyrics, poetry, lists of book characters and lots of colorful drawings on this board. Obviously it has a use long after early childhood. I have no plans of getting rid of it any year soon.

My experience with Melissa & Doug toys has always been a good one. I find their items to be well crafted and durable. For Christmas, I wanted to get my artistic 3 1/2 year old an easel, as she loves to paint and draw. I found another easel on line that I thought matched my home decor better - but it was much more expensive and all of the negative reviews led me to seek another alternative. I'm glad I found this easel and read the reviews. I was aware that the chalkboard needs to be sanded before use - but quite frankly, chalk turns to dust and we use it on the sidewalk outside. (I feel like the white board is an improvement from days of the chalkboard as far as indoor use goes.) That being said, this easel is great - as it was easy to put together, and only requires one small tool to assemble, which comes with it. It is adjustable to three different heights, which is great for extended use as your child grows. It sturdy, colorful, and practical. It was half the price of the other one I was wanting initially - with free shipping - and arrived within just a few days. My daughter loves it, and I'm anxious to see what creations come from her creative little heart.

This would be the best gift for a creative little person. Very sturdy, Good quality, super cute, has great spaces to store art supplies and adjustable in height for smaller people (my son is 3’ tall) to older artists (3-9 years old) Get the Melissa and Doug easel kit, it has everything you need with reusable bits. The extra kit you can buy has all the coloured containers to hold the paint, coloured coded paint brushes so they don’t mix up the colours, paint, a large roll of paper, chalk and eraser and dry erase marker. It was ok to put together on my own, a had to back up a step to get it right and would be easier with two adults working on it. Make sure the screws are tight and the kids won’t be able to loosen them. My ONLY complaint is my chalk board is not chalk board paint but a matte black plastic coating, it doesn’t show the chalk well at all but I don’t see any of these types of comments in the reviews so I’m wondering if I have a manufacturers defect. Overall, very happy with this purchase, would highly recommend

Se nota la calidad. Es estable y a mis nietos les encantan. Sirve tanto para pintar como para escribir. Muy buena compra para fomentar que dibujen. Tiene dos caras y es grande.

Es una excelente opción para los niños. Les va a encantar la utilidad, el tamaño y la posibilidad de guardar materiales.

Was a little worried when reading reviews but very happy with product. Great quality did take a little time to put together but very well written instructions and easy to follow pictures. Also love how you can change the height of the boards as your child gets older.

Firstly, very pleased to share that the product was delivered on time and in a perfect condition! Amazon had done a double packing to avoid any damage. The easel is exactly what I wanted for my 3.5 yr old daughter! She had been shying away from any type of drawing activities, which was making me worried. Ever since she's seen her easel, she's only found writing and drawing on the board! It's just right for a child who's learning to write! And of course would be of use in the years to come as well! Just a slight hitch : took us some time to assemble it!! The markings and the diagram could have been simpler!! But all worth it!!