was out looking for an easel for my daughter recently, whose interest in arts and crafts keeps growing and growing. I happened by accident to stumble across a set made by Crayola called Trace N Draw Projector . I had never heard of this product but I had heard of Crayola of course, and that is a brand name I trust. I learned that the usual price for this set was $19.99, but it was on sale for $14.99. I didn’t stop to think that maybe there was a reason that the price had been marked down or that there looked to be about a million of these sets available. The front cover stated, ” Hours of fun of tracing for children “. I figured I was getting a great bargain and tossed it into my shopping cart without giving enough thought to it as I should have.
Crayola Trace N Draw Projector
Crayola Trace N Draw Projector is basically a light projector that clips on a whiteboard screen. The whiteboard screen should lie flat on a desk. The base of the light projector snaps into the whiteboard, then the lightboard stand kind of curves around in a semicircle. The round light attached to the stand hangs down over the whiteboard. The entire projector is plastic and measures around nineteen inches. There is an on/off switch on the front of the light projector which allows children or parents to turn the light on and off. The light switch is round, plastic, and simple enough for children to be able to turn it off and on themselves. There is a small light bulb already in place in the light projector. However, in order to get the light to work, four “C” sized batteries are needed (not included). The batteries are to be placed into the round base of the light projector. On the stand of the light projector, there is also a round button with the a lock/unlock function. This is used to either keep the head of the projector in a locked position or in an unlocked position.
Also located on the head of the light projector is a small round opening (think ViewMaster) where round discs can be inserted. Once the discs are inserted and the lights are turned on, a character or object will appear on the whiteboard. The head of the the light projector can be moved or twisted in order for the character or object to be in perfect view for tracing. There are ten discs that feature different objects and animals; such as footballs, ice cream, puppies, kittens, teddy bears, bikes, swings, etc. All these items can be traced as long as drawing paper or tracing paper is placed on the whiteboard. Then there are additional five discs that give step by steps instructions on tracing certain objects that may require a bit more work. Each disk contains seven different designs. To move from one design to another, simply push the disc to the next slide while it is still in the light projector. There is no need to remove the disc just to change the picture (even though that method can also be used). There are two side compartments on the base of the light projector. These compartments can be pulled open to store all the discs in.
The whiteboard measures about fifteen inches long and twelve inches wide. The entire whiteboard is plastic and extremely light weight. There is a plastic clip at the top of the whiteboard (with the Crayola logo attached on it). This is clip is to be lifted so that paper can be slid under the clip. This keeps the paper from slipping out of place or moving while children are busy tracing. The whiteboard is detachable and can be used alone as a drawing base. To attach it to the light projector, line up the round bubble on the base of the light projector to the round openings on the bottom of the whiteboard. When they fit, simply snap them together. The whiteboard is simple to clean. Washable markers, crayons, and even water paints can be easily cleaned off with water and a cloth.
Experiences
I am going to start right away by saying that purchasing this set was a big mistake. From beginning to end, there were only a few redeemable qualities about this set, but many more aggravating experiences. First was the assembly. The stand of the light projector just does not want to stay attached to the base. I don’t understand why this part is detachable anyways since the stand itself does not move. Anyways, it took forever just to get the stand aligned right with the base in order to secure it. But if my daughter barely touched it or had to change discs, the stand would fall out of the base of the projector and tumble down onto the whiteboard. Second, the whiteboard also did not want to stay attached to the base of the stand. Once again, it was almost impossible to get the two aligned perfectly so that they could snap together. When we finally did, they barely snapped together and could easily come apart with just the slightest move. It was very frustrating to have to stop every two minutes to reassemble this thing right in the middle of my daughter tracing. After taking another twenty minutes or so reassemble, it would be another few minutes and it would fall again.
When we finally did get the set to work right, I noticed that each character was a tad bit blurry no matter how many times we tried to adjust the projector. The pictures could be made out easily, but there was never a time when when they were just crystal clear. The light bulb did not help much either because it has never been that bright. Speaking of the bulbs, once they blow out (And they will, and extremely fast at that), it is almost impossible to change the bulbs to another. There are tiny little screws inserted so far into the head of the light projector that it would take a miracle to get them unscrewed. The set does come with an extra light bulb, but that is not much of a reassurance when our first light bulb blew within the first two days of use.
Although I’ve have mentioned the reasons why this is not an ideal product, there are a few good points as well. My daughter really had a wonderful time tracing under the light as long as the stand was not falling over on her. The little discs are have extremely cute characters and objects that appeal to children. It did provide entertainment to my daughter, and she was happy with it while it lasted.
Recommended
Ummm…no. I will never recommend this product to anyone. Even though I got it on sale, it was not even worth the trip to the store. Even the discs (that are adorable) can’t even be used for anything else because they are too small for a ViewMaster. They are made specifically for this product, and it just too much of a pain to deal with. I also worry about the security of. It has not happened to us, but the light projector can easily bop a little one on the head while they are tracing if it happens to come undone (like it has been notorious for doing in our situation). The whiteboard is pretty much useless by itself because the clip is so flimsy that any pressing on the paper at all with make it slip. This product is just too much of a headache. It is a wonderful concept and my daughter did enjoy it for the small amount of time that it did work, but it is just not worth all the hassle that comes along with it.
One last thing that I feel I should mention is the age group for this product. Crayola says that this product is ideal for ages three and up but I disagree. Children need an adults help, at least in our experience. Although the light switch is easy to turn on and off, the discs are hard for children to turn by themselves and it is impossible for children around three to five years to reattach the parts back together. Even though the tracing part seems to fit within the age limits, everything else about it does not.
