Editorial Review

The Trace 'n Draw Projector by Crayola is a simple concept that enables children to produce professional-looking designs by tracing. It consists of a battery-operated light projector and a whiteboard screen.

The projector is made of strong blue and yellow plastic and measures approximately 19 inches high. It does require some adult help with construction, as the stand upon which the projector rests must be screwed into the base. The projector is shaped like an outsized Crayola crayon, and a locking mechanism on the stand allows you to adjust the projector’s angle. Two storage drawers swing out of the base, which can be used to store the 10 design discs that come with the projector. Each disc features seven designs, including animals, sports equipment, different types of food, and designs suitable for celebrations such as birthdays. The discs fit into the top of the projector itself, and the image is projected onto the accompanying whiteboard screen once the machine is switched on.

The whiteboard measures approximately 15 inches across by 12 inches high. You can either draw directly on its wipe-clean surface using a water-soluble pen (not included) or use the clip at the top of the whiteboard to attach paper to it. The Trace 'n Draw Projector requires four C batteries (not included). Because of small parts, it isn’t suitable for children under 3 years of age. --Alison Drury ... Read more

Reviews (92)

Not a good buy
We are very sorry to say that the projector part of this toy is now in the trash. My 4 year old daughter got so frustrated with the faint and somewhat distorted image that tracing became impossible. She still loves the clip board and uses it often. We are now looking for a replacemnet tracer in a different brand.

AWESOME TOY!!!
I got this for my son when he turned 4.It worked out great.The lightbulb works fine and you can see it all the time in a nice bold line.My son loves this toy and almost plays it an hour a day.(...) this toy is the best you could get.It also helps with his hand coordination.Now he loves to draw so much more!

Breaks very easily
My four year old got this as a gift. The light was dim and hard to see. We changed the batteries and tried to change the light bulb. It ended up falling apart. Good concept if it were made more durable.

Nice toy...POOR design
I had one of these when i was litle, so i wanted to get my son one for his b-day. I was very disappointed however with how difficult it is to keep it in one piece! the slightest movement and the base of the overhead light separates from its arm and topples over (the actual drawing board piece is fine, its the base of the light thats not pictured that sits under the draw board that causes the problem). he loves tracing with it when i can get the overhead to stay up, but i would definitely go with a different model next time. storage is an issue as well. the arm and base are connected by wires, needless to say you spend a lot of time restuffing the wires that keep falling out!! Very frustrating to say the least.

A really fun toy
My 6 year old son has created some fabulous pictures with the Crayola projector. He uses the projector to trace the outline, then fills them in with color. He enjoys it a lot, and I would highly recommend this toy for any child who likes to color. It has worked exactly as I expected, with no problems with lightbulbs. Don't get the travel version though, it's too small. ... Read more

Teacher Review

In the olden days, crayons, colored pencils, and chalk were the onlyavailable tools for young artists. The wide array of markers available todaygreatly enhances interest in art, spawning imagination and creativity in youngchildren. The opportunity for artistic exploration enhances intellectual andacademic achievement. This set of 108 markers comes in a "rainbow of 64 washablecolors." The handy flat plastic carrying case is a great organizer to encouragecleanup and a boon for independent play on long car trips. Along with 64fine-line markers, the set also contains 26 brush-tip markers that lend theillusion of painting. The long caps on these are difficult to pull off, so theymight be frustrating for young children. Also included are the ever-popularMagical Markers in 18 colors that will change from the original to their capcolor if drawn over with one of the three included white pens. --LairShowalter, mother and elementary school teacher ... Read more

Features

• 64 colors
• Flat plastic case with handle
• 3 types of marker
• 18 magic markers

Editorial Review

Fan the aspirations of budding artists with this versatile two-sided easel. Onone side is a white board (just like Mom and Dad use at work) while the other side sportsa chalkboard adorned with numbers and letters. There's a tray, which can easily transferfrom one side of the easel to the other to store chalk or dry-erase markers. The easelassembles easily, requiring only minimal adjustments. --John Moe ... Read more

Reviews (15)

ok but we made it better
We bought this easel for our son instead of the little tikes mission style easel which is [alot] more. It is ok but we made it better. The dry erase board is not a very good surface, when my son writes on it and then tries to erase, it won't erase. The only way the marker will come off is to use the spray, and I am not real eager to give my 4 year old something to spray himself in the eye with. Also it would be nice if it had another tray for the other side. I bought it anyway and had my brother-in-law make an additional tray and had him cut a new piece of dry erase board and glued it on top of the one that doesn't erase well. Now, it is perfect, and the supplies for the repairs/modifications, only [a few dollars], which is still way under what we would have paid for the little tikes mission stlye easel. You do need someone who can do small carpentry jobs, if not I would think twice about this easel.

Broken on arrival !
My daughter received this as a Christmas 2003 gift from her grandparents. They ordered it by mail. Well, she was all excited to finally open this easel and get it set up for use. She was very disappointed that one of the legs was broken nearly 3/4 of the way through at the hole for the crossbar. If I had put it together, it would have broken off completely. It LOOKED nice and sturdy, and was certainly heavy enough. Also, it doesn't come with ANY supplies ! How much does chalk cost ? Fifty cents ? And no markers for the dry erase board ! For the price of this unit, some markers and chalk should be added. Well, back to the store it goes !

GREAT DEAL!!
We just bought this toy for our 3 year old son, and it is great!
He hasn't officially been able to play with it yet (b/c it's a Christmas present), but my husband and I couldn't resist. It's made of a neutral, wood color, so it matches anywhere in your home and it's not wobbly like so many other easels we looked at. Also, the chalk board is a REAL chalkboard, not plastic like the one on the Little Tikes easel. The only downside that I found was that there was only one supply tray, but that's not a big deal. As for the screws that stick out, they are tiny and not even close to my son's height(maybe his height at 6 mo)so there's no danger of him losing an eye on it. Overall, it's a GREAT buy for the money...especially since it's on sale this week!

not safe for little ones
A nice medium-sized easel, but with one bad flaw. There is only one tray, which can be moved from one side to the other. The tray is held on by two screws on either side- you pop the tray over the screws, then push down, and it locks into place. To remove it, you pop it up, then pull it off. Nice and easy, but leaves two screws sticking out about 1/3 -1/2 inch from the bottom of the easel, perfect toddler-eye height or just right for kids to trip and cut their face or clothes with- Not a good buy for young households!!! if you can manage to get a second tray, this oops could probably be remedied, but I guess you have to write the manufacturer. It's too bad, because it's a nice little easel and looks like it could last a while otherwise.

Best thing i ever bought!
I bought this easel about 5 years ago for my girls, they are now 12 and 8 and they Still play school with this! It folds up for easy storage, my girls have dragged this everywhere in the house and outside to play. Out of many years of buying toys for my kids, this is the only thing that they still have in one piece and still play with. I know I definitely got my money's worth!! And I am going to buy my niece and nephew one also!!!! ... Read more