The first easel I purchased for Christmas a few years back was a nightmare to put together. The directions were madness and I even had to take it back apart and start over on one occasion. The connections were these colorful knobby things that my toddlers quickly figured out how to unscrew. We were forever chasing those knobs all over the house and fighting to keep them out of their mouths. My husband finally grew frustrated and took it apart and tossed it in storage. He was terrified someone would choke on the pieces. I wasn’t overly thrilled that the kids lost their easel, but agreed that the choking risk was too high.
We recently received the Art Alternatives Children’s Art Activity Easel and Easel Accessory Set for our little ones. Putting the easel together was easy, snap, simple. My four year old even helped my husband put it together. My husband loved that the connections were using flush bolts instead of the colorful hand knobs like our easel of the past.
Specifics:
Constructed of solid pine, this easel features large trays on both sides and generously sized 23-1/4″ x 23-1/4″ white board and chalkboard surfaces as well as a hidden paper roll that feeds over either side. It can be converted to a table top easel with attached rubber feet for surface protection. The adjustable legs accommodate users of different heights or can be adjusted from 46″ to 54″ as a young artist grows. The sturdy, washable bright red baskets provide convenient and ample built-in storage space. Light assembly required. Base dimensions are 26-1/4″W x 23″D. Table top dimensions are 26-1/4″W x 31-1/2″H x 15-1/4″D. Weighs 22 lbs.
Chock full of supplies for hours of fun, this set includes four bottles of liquid tempera paint in red, blue, green and yellow; four natural bristle paint brushes (handle color matches paint colors); four spill-proof paint pots (lid color matches paint colors); four dry erase markers (red, blue, green and black); one chalk/dry erase board eraser; one paper roll and 12 chalk pastels in assorted colors – thirty pieces in all! Packaged in a colorful and attractive 4-color box. Box Dimensions: 18.3″w x 4″d x 9.75″h. The perfect set of painting and drawing accessories to accompany the Art Alternatives Art Activity Easel (AA13325) or Children’s Paint and Draw Easel (AA13320). Intended for ages 6 and up.
Art Alternatives offers studio, field, table top, display, and kids easels of various styles. Assembly instructions are provided within your packaging and are also available online in case you need them again later.
Mom’s Thoughts:
I like the versatility of white board, chalk board, painting – the baskets underneath are amazing! I love that everything can be stored with the unit easily.
I also hate that everything can be stored under the unit easily because baby girl (2 year old toddler) can access whatever she wants whenever she wants. We had to relocate the paint for the protection of every surface around her but still find the storage helpful with our dry erase and paper supplies. There is so much storage available that I can’t imagine filling it all up! (I need more art supplies!!)
One thing we didn’t realize was that our Art Alternatives Easel easel would look like art so quickly. The kids have painted the natural wood and it now looks rather “creative” (smile). The above photo was taken after an afternoon session of painting and tag team art creating. They put this easel through a lot of fun torture.
The brushes and chalk pastels included in the Easel Accessory Set were great quality for art supplies intended for children. We were also provided with spill-proof paint containers for the little ones. The paint containers can hold unused paint in the cups with the cup corks in place. We did have a circumstance where some paint became moldy but none of the kids can tell me if the cup corks were in use when it happened.
My oldest daughter took off with the chalk pastels and hid them in her room – I have only seen the products of her creations instead of the actual pastels themselves. She was gracious enough to leave the littles with the dry erase markers and eraser though. They have enjoyed their dry erase board and markers so much that the game of “put the lid back on the markers” has become a daily- hourly household event.
Art supplies are always a great holiday gift and anytime you can
combine a child’s “big” gift AND art, you have the ultimate gift!
Please visit Art Alternatives for more information on their holiday gifts for children.
I love doing art with my son! This is amazing