Deluxe Floor-Standing Wooden Easel Ages:3+ Requires: Adult assembly

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: Novelty factor: The Good: Two-sided easel lets children create art with a variety of different media. The Challenging: Art supplies and paper must be purchased separately. In a Nutshell: Easy-to-clean 2-sided art easel offers ample space for creative expression.

Kids can create art with paint, chalk, pens, crayons, markers, and more, all at one convenient station.

The integrated butcher paper roll makes it easy to pull the paper through either side of the easel. (Paper sold separately.) View larger.

Designed for Maximum Creativity
The Melissa&Doug Deluxe Easel features a bi-fold wood frame with two art stations, one on each side, which allows two children to work at one time. It's also designed to let children experiment with several different art media: on one side is a chalkboard, on the other is a dry erase board, and in between the two easel sides is a dowel for holding a butcher paper roll. (Paper must be purchased separately.)

Pull the paper through to either side of the easel for your child to paint or draw. Once the painting is complete, the paper can be torn neatly against the top of the frame and set aside to dry, and a new length of paper can be pulled down for the next art creation. The easel includes sturdy clips that can hold oversized individual art papers onto the easel's surfaces.

Art Made Easy
Early childhood education experts say that working on easels offers a variety of valuable learning opportunities for the preschool-aged child. Painting or drawing with large strokes encourages motor development while giving the child the opportunity to experiment with color, shapes, and the varied textures created by different art media.

Our preschool-aged toy tester enjoyed working on the easel, whether she was drawing with chalk or painting with poster paints. In fact, her creative output increased significantly with the easel. She especially enjoyed mixing paints to make different colors. Like many children her age, she likes standing while engaged in creative play, and the easel makes it much easier for her to draw and paint large pictures without having to reach awkwardly across a table surface or kneel on the floor.

Cleanup, Simplified
As everyone knows, art can be messy, so that's why parents and caregivers will appreciate the easel's easy-to-clean design. The trays and art boards are held in place with screws that have large plastic knobs for easy loosening and tightening. This allows the trays and board to be easily removed, and washed individually in the sink. (We strongly recommend using only washable paints with this toy.) The easel also folds flat for easy storage: just unscrew the crossbars and close the stand for easy storage against a wall or under a bed.

The easel also includes two plastic storage trays: one tray is a long trough, perfect for holding pens or chalk; the other has four spaces for paint cups and additional sections for paint brushes and other supplies.

Unfortunately, art supplies are not included with the Melissa&Doug Deluxe Easel. However, you can purchase the following accessories separately: the Melissa&Doug Deluxe Easel Companion Set, which is a collection of art supplies for the easel; and the Melissa&Doug Deluxe Easel Paper 3-Pack, which includes three large rolls of paper.

About Melissa&Doug
Started in the garage at Doug's parents' house in 1988, Melissa&Doug has grown to become one of the most popular toy makers in the world. Their toys have garnered dozens of parenting and "best toy" awards over the years, and have been featured widely in national print media and on television.

One of the company's points of pride is that their toys are thoroughly tested for safety, and meet all US consumer product safety regulations. The toys are tested at the factory of origin during various phases of the production process to assure that every toy meets the company's stringent safety requirements every step along the way. In particular, the paints and coatings on Melissa&Doug toys are tested frequently to be sure they meet or exceed government recommendations limiting heavy metals and lead in children's items.

Since day one, Melissa&Doug has been in compliance with every US consumer product safety regulation and will continue to stay compliant as the laws continue to evolve, assuring parents that their children can have a safe childhood while playing with Melissa&Doug toys.

What's in the Box
Two-sided art easel, instructions, and all necessary hardware for assembly.

The Lamaze Freddie the Firefly offers: Stimulates baby's vision and auditory skills Soft velour body and multiple textures on the wings keep baby engaged Tethered ladybug teether and knotted antennae perfect for chewing

Large eyes. View larger.

Stimulates Baby's Vision and Auditory Skills
When babies are first born, they see in black and white. This is why Freddie strikes a balance between bright, high contrast patterns that help stimulate baby's vision, and bold solid colors that give baby's eyes a place to rest. Sounds like squeak, clink, and crinkle also help stimulate and develop baby's auditory skills. Finally, Freddie's large, friendly eyes invite baby to focus and stare at a single object, which can help calm baby while supporting healthy eye development.

Child-Safe Design
Made to be safe for newborns and young children, Freddie features a soft velour body that's ideal for cuddling and busy wings with a peek-a-boo mirror for interactive play. Multiple textures keep your baby interested, encouraging her to explore. Additionally, the rings clink together, and the tethered ladybug teether--which baby can pull out or store in a cute little pocket--and knotted antennae are perfect for chewing. For added fun and to aid small motor development, there's also a ball that squeaks when squeezed.

Freddie comes with a 90-day limited warranty.

Knotties

Click clack rings

Crinkle wings

Squeaker

Mirror

Pull out teether

High Contrast Black and White patterns

About Learning Curve
The creative force behind hundreds of award-winning toys, Learning Curve created the Lamaze Infant Development System by working in tandem with parents, babies, and childhood experts. Learning Curve understands that what matters most to parents is keeping their children healthy, happy, and safe. The company's goal is to help parents do just that by offering products for every stage of a child's development--from feeding to playing to sleeping. Learning Curve's thoroughly researched developmental toys engage children, and provide parents with peace of mind. And their care, safety, feeding and soothing products give you solutions to day-to-day needs at mealtime, bedtime, at home and on-the-go.

The "NXT" generation of buildable, programmable robots is here!
LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT is back and better than ever, with new robot models, even more customizable programming, and all-new technology including a color sensor! MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 combines the unlimited versatility of the LEGO building system with an intelligent microcomputer brick and intuitive drag-and-drop programming software. The new 2.0 toolkit features everything you need to create your first robot in 30 minutes and then tens of thousands of other robotic inventions that do what you want!

• The intelligent NXT LEGO brick features 32-bit microprocessor, a large matrix display, 4 input and 3 output ports, and Bluetooth and USB communication link
• Three interactive servo motors
• Four sensors: Ultrasonic Sensor, 2 Touch Sensors and the all-new Color Sensor
• Color Sensor has triple functionality: distinguishes colors and light settings, and functions as a lamp
• Easy-to-use software (PC and Mac) with icon-based drag-and-drop programming and 16 fun building and programming challenges All the LEGO® elements (612 pcs) you need for creating incredible robots Building instructions for 4 new amazing robots
• Personalize your robots with the Sound and Icon editors
• Share your project files with your friends with the Pack-N-Go project packager
• Batteries not included

MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Ages:10 and up Pieces:619 Requires:6 "AA"/LR6 batteries (not included)

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: Novelty factor: The Good: Brings LEGO to life. The Challenging: Booklet only includes instructions for one basic robot. In a Nutshell: Everything you need to build and program robots -- jump starts inventive play.

With MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0, you can construct robots that see, speak, feel, and move. View larger.

Use the included software to program your robot and watch it come to life. View larger.

Build, Program, Go
Creating a MINDSTORMS robot is challenging -- but not too difficult -- with an illustrated step-by-step booklet and software showing the way. The booklet gives you instructions for building a basic "Quick Start" robot only, which is an easy introduction to the MINDSTORMS experience. This robot took our two adult testers about 30 minutes to build and 30 minutes to program. After that, they spent a lot of time just playing with their creation and testing its abilities.

Once you master the basics of MINDSTORMS, you'll need to use the included software to get instructions for more advanced creations. You can also use the MINDSTORMS web site to find instructions for many other robots, or you can create robots on your own. No matter what you choose to create, the principles are the same: just build the robot using the LEGO elements in the kit, and program it on your computer using the software. Then watch your robot come alive.

NXT Technology Brings LEGO to Life
MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 features the latest in robotic technology: an advanced programmable microcontroller, Interactive Servo Motors, smart sensors, icon-based drag-and-drop programming software, interactive challenges, and wireless Blue tooth and USB connections -- all the smart technologies you need to create your custom robot.

First, the brain of the MINDSTORMS robot is NXT, an intelligent, computer-controlled LEGO brick that features a 32-bit microprocessor, a large matrix display, input and output ports, and a speaker.

Second, three Interactive Servo Motors give you precise control over the robot and ensure that the robot moves with precision -- the built-in rotation sensor can measure one-degree steps.

Third, there are four robotic sensors. The first is the Ultrasonic Sensor, one of two sensors that gives your robot vision. You can use it to make your robot avoid obstacles, sense and measure distance, and detect movement.

And fourth of all, two Touch Sensors give your robot a sense of touch. They detect when they are being pressed or released, and you can use them to make your robot pick up things or act on command. For example, by pressing a Touch Sensor you can make your robot walk, talk, close a door, or turn off your TV.

There's also a Color Sensor that functions three ways: it distinguishes colors -- black and white, as well as a range of bright and pastel colors -- it distinguishes light settings, and it can be used as a color lamp.

And finally, the MINDSTORMS Software lets you program your robot. Use the software to create a program, and then download the program to the NXT by using the USB cable or the wireless Blue tooth connection. Mac- and PC-compatible drag-and-drop software gives you 16 building and programming challenges, from beginner to expert.

Overall, this set scores an excellent rating for its clever design elements. Our testers enjoyed the way the set brought a new level of interaction to their LEGO experience, and appreciated how easy it was to create their first robot. They also loved the way this set encourages inventive play -- all the cool hardware that makes up the set can be used to build any robot you dream up. Finally, our testers liked how this set offers a great balance of learning and fun, and encourages interest in science, computers, and engineering.

Microsoft Windows Requirements
• Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2 or newer
• Intel Pentium processor or compatible, 800 MHz minimum (1.5 GHz or better recommended)
• Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or newer
• Intel Pentium processor or compatible, 1 GHz minimum (1.5 GHz or better recommended)
• CD-ROM drive

Apple Macintosh Requirements
• Apple MacOS X v10.4 or v10.5
• PowerPC G3, G4, G5 processor, 600 MHz minimum
• Intel processor (1.3 GHz or better recommended)
• DVD drive

General System Requirements
• 512MB of RAM minimum
• 700MB of available hard-disk space
• XGA display (1024x768)
• 1 available USB port
• Compatible Blue tooth adapter (optional)