Ideal Bite

Art Easels

Is your kiddo an artistic Wiz?

09.01.2009

Submitted by alara on Mon, 08/31/2009 - 11:00pm.

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The Bite:

There's no place like home to figure it out. Consider a kid-size eco-easel for art projects. We found ones made with sustainable woods and nontoxic stains, so your kid'll have a safe, healthy spot for painting and coloring lions, and tigers, and bears...

The Benefits:

Saving Emerald City. Buying easels made with recycled wood or wood from managed, third-party-certified forests uses up fewer trees.
Keeping munchkins healthy. These easels are free of formaldehyde, which has been linked to cancer and can cause allergic reactions (skin rashes, burning eyes, nose, and throat).
No (To)toxins. Acrylic stains applied to many easels release polluting chems while drying and after. The water-based stains here expose you and your kid to fewer VOCs.
Being the good witch. Instead of accidentally getting ink all over your [insert once-pristine furnishing here], your kids'll have a place to make their mess without making you crazy.

Wanna Try:

Jonti-Craft Sproutz 2 Station Easel - two kids can work at once on this deluxe two-sided easel/art center with supply shelves and paint trays; made with 100% recycled wood fiber ($330).
Ecotots Surfin Children's Wooden Art Easel - three-piece easel made with 100% formaldehyde-free, FSC-certified birch plywood; no-tool, quick assembly; durable, water-based finish in natural, red, brown, and green ($149).
Richeson Navajo Easel - easel for older kids (or grown-ups) made from renewable lyptus hardwood: hybrid eucalyptus trees that mature in 14-16 years and sprout from stumps of previously harvested trees ($74).
Chalkboard Wall Easel - easel-and-chalkboard combo made with formaldehyde-free birch plywood and a Greenguard-certified finish hangs on the wall or stands on its own; complies with LEED product standards ($64).
DIY Bite - make your own easel out of a cardboard box and two clothespins/binder clips.

Timeout

Clara, 2, is an "artsy gal," says Biter Ashley Logsdon. The Nashville, TN, mom picked up this easel on Craigslist, her go-to for gently used (read: eco) kids stuff.

Bang For The Bite

If 10,000 Mama Biters buy an easel made with eco-friendly materials instead of one made with formaldehyde and toxic stains, we'll keep the weight 1,200 Dorothys in chem-treated wood out of kids' playrooms.

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Is your kiddo an artistic Wiz?

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Bang For The Bite

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