Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Art Easel for Kids - Adjustable Dry-Erase Board, Chalkboard & Paper Roller with Storage | Perfect for Home, Classroom & Preschool Creative Activities

2nd art easel from Melissa & Doug. First one collapsed and some of the wood pieces broke so couldn't exactly put it back together. I like the function of it and the kids love it as well. Nice function and nice added colors. However, it is not very durable and the wood is flimsy especially the sides where it is supporting the weight. I would regularly check on the bolts to tighten them if you don't want yours to fall apart. I've had issues with the wood pieces either cracking or getting unscrewed just from regular movements, not being rough on it. 2nd one I have now had the same issue with stress on the side and falling apart, but it is still usable since at least the wood didn't crack this time.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.Originally, I just wanted a bare easel to hold an old oak "black" chalkboard passed down in my family for over 50 years. One of my granddaughters has taken to freestyle chalk art. SIDE NOTE: - I FINALLY located a very nice 144 pc. box of pastel colors chalk, here on Amazon. It is nearly impossible to find a large assortment of rich colored chalk, (NOT THE SIDEWALK type) anywhere!However, (after finding the perfect chalk) I was then searching the web for a stand-alone easel that looked "worthy" for this classic but somewhat large chalkboard.In my search I kept returning to view this one from Melissa & Doug. Finding no easel-only solution, I ditched my attempts and decided to buy this as a chalkboard/easel combination. After receiving and assembling it, I am not disappointed.The assembly is easy and its instructions are fairly straight-forward. The materials are pre-cut/drilled wood, bolts (including the correct tightening tool) and multicolored plastic turn-knobs used for fasteners - making the assembly, break-down for storage, (and its adjustment for the user's height/fitment) ALL fast and easy.The unit provides (2) complete "stations" for use - each with its own storage bin attached to the frame below. Side (1) I will call the chalkboard, (green) and side (2) is a white board for use with erasable markers. Both sides can be used simultaneously, when (2) children are playing together.A pole mounted horizontally across the middle section can suspend an "optional" roll of drawing paper, to be pulled out and draped over the top of either side's art surface for sketch drawing. The entire easel frame is nicely designed for each purpose, solidly - but simple.Each station's "useable" surface area (actual drawing space) is approximately 23"W x 21" H.After my 4 yr old granddaughter "helped me" in the assembly and outlined her configuration preferences, we moved the completed unit to her room for its burn-in testing. She was/is very satisfied - as am I. We shared the single chalkboard for hours. We mounted both bins on the same side for our initial session, and they stored everything we could ever need - including our drinks! Re-configuring is easy/fast using the turn-knobs.The chalk board surface "takes" chalk very well - and erases cleanly. The work surface heights, like the storage bins, are aptly adjustable to suit user preferences. I am not yet "comfortable" in introducing her to the dry marker capabilities, but I may buy her the drawing paper at some point.She loves this unit and it has already proven worthy of the cost. It is sturdy, wobble-free, and doesn't have any "cons" that we have noticed thus far. I can honestly recommend it over any other products we viewed for its application - regardless of cost - and we spent hours online (at Amazon and other sites) in search-of.I gave it 4 stars because I very rarely give 5 stars to anything. As for educational value etc. I didn't consider that - (I believe it is overstressed in toys nowadays). Let's have fun!I don't know what kind of people wrote all the good reviews but they mislead us into believing this a quality product, it isn't. Its made of the cheapest timber which isn't even straight. The one we bought our granddaughter had to be assembled while she waited, not a quick job and then the holes hadn't been drilled properly and in the end the white board had to be bent to fix. All a huge disappointment on a special occasion. Do yourself a favour either buy one thats a lot cheaper or one with guarantees on quality. Ohh and assemble well beforehand.Easy to assemble.Bought for our 3 yr old girl who is v tall. She should have a few years out if this.Sturdy but vv expensive compared to other easels and not really any more sturdy. Paying the extra for it being height adjustable. Probably would have been cheaper to buy a good branded one e.g. Fisher price and raise it up on blocks when needs be. Oh well! Also accessory set which includes paint pots, board rubber, chalks, brushes, paint and roll of paper at £25 extra is extortion as these items could be purchased from other retailers for around £10.only bought it because I wanted the paint pots to fit properly in the section provided on the easel. I feel those pots could have been provided with the easel at no extra cost, given the steap price of the easel to start with.When we first opened box we were a bit shocked at how many pieces there were. However it was quite simple to construct and very sturdy. A second rod for the paper roll would be useful so that we can store the constant flow of creativity without removing it from the easel.Perfect - exactly what we were looking for our 5 year old. Very good quality and I think it will last years. The accessory set also brilliant which we received as a Christmas present from a relative to go with the easel. Very pleased with the purchase and a big fan of M&D products in general as always great quality and value for money.This is a gift for my little Granddaughter. I can't wait for her to open it . It seems very sturdy and she will have many happy hours of fun.