Muti-purpose kids activity table

I've been looking around for an activity table for the kids and while there were various options out there there are a lot of hit and misses, single purpose oriented, expensive, lack functional and practical features.

In summary I was looking for a table with the following:
- Sizeable enough to fit 2 boys conducting multiple activities concurrently
- Simple features such as raised edges to stop pencils or marbles rolling of the side
- Easy storage for commonly used items
- Longevity of use where legs can be adjusted to suit kids as they grow fast

I know it may be an ideal wish list but these wants aren't luxury features they are rather practical and functional. So with options out there that only covers 1 to 2 of my requirements I decided to DIY a design to fulfil my needs.

As I started I had nothing as a basis for the ideal size, it had to be big but not cumbersome so I considered what the boys would like beyond arts and crafts, puzzles, PlayDoh and LEGO building sessions? What if we ever wanted to build a miniature play town? (and in this case a LEGO seaside town)

This led to the concept and potentially the colour of what could to be built.

A 15 LEGO baseplate surface area

The concept started by imagining a volume of water with the surface dimensions of 15 pieces of LEGO 32x32 stud baseplates for land surface, supported by flat panel legs on each side with bolts to add additional panels to raise the height later on.

Initial view of build

The idea here is that the baseplates are removable and for storage for when other activities happen. If calculated right the raised edges will help hold the baseplates in place as we build our own creations or official LEGO sets.

So after working out the dimensions and sourcing types wood to go with I eventually went with plywood to manage the cost, MDF or solid wood would have been nice but the cost would not justify for this prototype. This meant with a lower cost we could work through the kinks.

Initial work-in-progress shots of setup and build.

Paint job

Once the filler was dry and sanded down the first coat of paint went on, for colour I was somewhat inspired by the rustic blue and white combination of the Greek Cycladic islands, so I went with that but tweaked the blue to be much calmer as a working surface colour.

Done and done.

Here we have it, all completed and ready for use. I have not prepared the extension panels for the legs but with the removable bolts I will be able to add panels to increase the height at any point.

The boys wasted no time with finding use for the table, starting with painting. As you can see with the size it offers a great amount of space to spread things out when needed.

Multiple Activities

As mentioned I wanted to design something that could accommodate multiple activities concurrently. Here's the painting session on one side and magnet puzzle session on the other, leaving room for one more activity or friend to join in the fun. Just nice I reckon.

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ADVERTISMENT

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5 puzzles in one go.

Here's another session with some Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles, the raised edges suit this kind of activity well as the boards and pieces don't go sliding off the sides.

Easy storage on both sides

And finally the storage just under the table, great for small containers,  paints, stationary and art pads.

Overall we have a pretty descent activity table now and I hope for it to be utilised for years to come, unless I decide to do one in solid wood.

Not forgetting the burning question.
Can this table fit a LEGO town and its 15 baseplates?
Well that remains to be seen, on another post:)