Use this Outdoor Easel Tutorial to make your kids the perfect creative station! Easy to make with the included plans and instructions.
Want an Outdoor Easel but don’t want to spend major bucks on it? I don’t blame you! Make one for yourself with just the most basic of woodworking tools. Don’t have a saw or a way to get the boards home? If you ask really nicely, the people at your local home store will probably do the cuts for you!
First things first, download the Outdoor Easel Plans (download below) and purchase necessary supplies. Follow the “Suggested Cuts” diagrams on the first page to get the most out of your purchase! You may have all the wood you need from scrap material (lucky you!). If so, just measure and cut the appropriate sizes.
As far as construction goes, follow the diagram on the second page to assemble the frame, leaving the top 24″ board off. Attach the mitered quarter rounds with either small nails or wood glue (never mind that edges aren’t mitered in the picture above!). Slide the plexiglass sheet in place and secure in place by screwing in the top 24″ board. All you have to do now is attach the legs and then you’re done!
Now comes the fun part! My kids have used tons of different supplies to make art on their easel, including:
And we’re always on the hunt for more! I’m even planning on taping up worksheets for my 4 year old to work on this Summer. Nothing like bringing the classroom outdoors!
The great thing about this easel is that when your kids are done and they’ve moved on to their next adventure for the day, all you have to do is wipe down the plexiglass with water and a cloth, push up the legs and store for next time!
Also, if anything happens to the plexiglass (which, with my two boys and their three boy cousins, I’m almost counting on!), you can remove the top, slide out the old plexiglass, and easily replace it with a new one.
Hope your kids enjoy their Outdoor Easel just as much as ours do!!
Comments & Reviews
Arianna Pierce says
Hello! I had a question for you about possibly collaborating on something and was hoping you could email me back to discuss? Thanks so much!
– Arianna
ariannapierce2 (at) gmail (dot) com
Capri + 3--Theresa says
Your DIY easel looks great! If we didn’t already have easels, I would have my husband (who enjoys woodworking) make some of these. Thanks for the great tutorial.
Vanessa Brady says
Oh man, I bet your husband could whip this out super quickly!
Heather says
You are so clever! What a great project for the kiddos…can I play too – looks like fun!
Vanessa Brady says
Ok, I’ll admit it…I told the kids to play in the sandbox so that I could make my own art on the easel! 😀
Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage says
This is such a fun idea! Love that it folds down for storage. How smart is that?
( the models doing the demonstration were pretty cute too)
Yolanda Crisostomo says
Hi! This is an awesome tutorial! This is a nice and sturdy easel. I hope you don’t mind my sharing this with our Cafemom Holiday and Party Craft members. They’ll Love this! I also want to share this on my blog.
I’d like to invite you also to join our Cafemom group: http://www.cafemom.com/group/22263
yumi says
Loved this idea so much I made one for my 2 year old daughter. Made it slightly bigger so she can share with her siblings when they’re older. Thanks forsharing
Dawn says
HI,
Upon looking into plexiglass I noticed there are several thickness and of course the thicker it is the more expensive it is. Which thickness did you use??
Thank you,
Dawn
Vanessa Brady says
I’m sorry for the late reply but we used a .25″ piece of plexiglass but the plans are adjustable to any thickness. Hope that helps!
Tiffany says
I’m having trouble getting an email that has this freebie in it. I’ve signed up according to the form above but I don’t see any email from tried and true blog should I be looking for something else?
Vanessa Brady says
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that! Email me at [email protected] and we’ll get this worked out.