Click
There was much excitement in our house when I got back from the Post Office with a big and heavy parcel containing the Melissa & Doug Workbench. My eldest daughter (aged 4) was keen to start building straight away, so we found a (real!) screwdriver and put it together. It really is a beautifully made and high quality toy and it feels a lot better built than many pieces of flat-packed furniture I have owned! The assembly instructions were clear and all the pieces were well labelled, so it was pretty straightforward to put together. An hour later and it was done and we felt weʼd earned our first “builderʼs break†of a cuppa and a chocolate biscuit.
The
The
As well as a tool-shelf on the top, the workbench has a very handy tray at the bottom - which is great for storing models, the pieces of wood and the instruction manual. It comes with four tools (a hammer, screwdriver, wrench and saw) and these are realistic and work well when used in conjunction with the workbench. The tools presented my girls a fantastic opportunity to learn their uses in a safe setting, without fear of missing fingers!
One of the best things about the Melissa and Doug Workbench is that it easily appeals to abroad range of ages. My 4 year old loves constructing models using the pieces of wood and chunky nuts, bolts and “nailsâ€. She can confidently follow the instructions in the clearly presented suggestion booklet to construct simple models such as a drag car and an aeroplane. Moreover, she loves to use her imagination to construct all manner of other inventions.
One of the only downsides Iʼve seen to the workbench is that you donʼt seem to be able to extend it for larger projects by purchasing additional components. It would be fantastic if you could buy extra pieces of wood, nuts and bolts - with these I could see my daughter happily constructing larger scale objects such as houses.
The
An
Whilst my elder daughter loves building freestanding models, my younger daughter (nearly two) has been getting busy with the tools. She absolutely loves hammering the wooden nails into the workbench (and then leaving me to get them out again) and “sawing†pieces of wood whilst they are held tight in the working vice. The bench is at just the right height for her to do her building and the only negative is the amount of noise she can make whilst hammering!
My
The workbench is fairly large, approximately 66cm x 48cm x 60cm when assembled, so the size might put some people off. However, we’ve loved taking the workbench outside to play with in the garden (although stable, it’s easily light enough to move around). And when the kids have gone to bed? Well, in the evenings, we’ve also found it a very useful laptop stand and coffee table!
To see the workbench in action, click here.
