Needs a little work! (ELC My First Work Bench)

Member Name: Ann-Marie_B

Product:	ELC My First Work Bench
Date:	26/01/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Attractive, imaginative and durable

Disadvantages: Could have been better thought out

My little boy was inundated with presents at Christmas and one of them was the Early Learning Centre's My First Work Bench, which was a gift from his aunt and uncle.

The My First Work bench is currently available from the Early Learning Centre at £20. The recommended age range is 1 - 3 years.

This toy consists of a colourful work bench with a tray situated underneath and on top a variety of tools. Moving from left to right there is a circular saw encased in clear plastic. To the side of this saw is a lever which causes the saw to spin and emit a sawing noise when pulled down.

Next to this are two nuts which click and emit a sound when twisted round. Behind these are a pair of round headed screws. When one screw is depressed, the other pops up and each makes a different spring type sound.

We then come to a drill which has three LED lights situated at the front in a clear plastic casing. The drill again has a handle to be pulled down. When doing so the LED lights intermittently light up and a drilling sound is emitted.

At the side of the work bench is a clamp with a turning handle which clicks and again emits a sound when turned. The clamp also tightens and loosens when the handle is turned around.

Finally at the back is a piece of plastic which holds a screwdriver and a hammer in two plastic grips. These tools are held perhaps a little too tightly for small hands to displace them. The screwdriver also seems to be positioned far too closely to the circular saw when it quite easily could have been centred where it would not interfere with any of the tools on the bench.

The screwdriver fits into the two nuts on the bench and is supposedly used to turn these round, however this is rather tricky to do as the plastic is a little too rounded and the indent is a little too shallow.

Another drawback is that the piece of plastic at the back which holds the screwdriver and hammer is not fixed in any way to the bench. Instead it is slotted in rather loosely. I have found that whenever my little boy plays with this toy, the plastic is removed and ends up ignored, somewhere a distance away from the toy. This happens to such an extent that I have considered maybe gluing it into place, something the ELC toy designers should have done maybe?

Overall, I am generally a big fan of the Early Learning Centre's toys and despite its drawbacks this product has many positive aspects. It is imaginative and colourful, although not garish as some children's toys tend to be. It is highly durable and has withstood being flung around the house by my one year old son. Its smooth surface makes it very easy to wipe clean. Most importantly, this toy is highly favoured by my little boy and since Christmas it has got plenty of use.

This may not be one of the Early Learning Centre's best creations, however it is a much loved one which I'm sure will be played with in years to come.

Summary: Needs a little work perhaps but still a much loved toy