I received this work bench to review as a member of the Step2 Ambassador program. All opinions are mine alone.
A few weeks ago my husband started building a shed in our back yard. (Yes, I said started because it still isn’t finished. Men, eh?) Anyway, whenever he goes out there to work on it Judah insists on helping him. He is such a little handyman – he loves tools, putting things together, taking them apart and pretty much anything that involves working with his hands. He turned 4 a few weeks ago, and while trying to come up with something really fun to give him Step2 sent us the cutest Home Depot Handyman Workbench to check out. I really wanted to let him tear into it immediately, but the wheels started turning and I decided to hold on to it for a few weeks until I could figure out something fabulous to do with it for his birthday. I wanted to make it really special for him, so I cleared off a corner of our side porch and created a fun work shop space all his own. I am SO glad I did because he absolutely adores it! It doesn’t take up a lot of deck space, and the French doors beside it open up to my office so he can play around in his workshop while I get work done and I am still able to see him.
Isn’t it adorable? It was really easy to put together, and he loves having a space all his own where he can hang out (supervised of course) and work on his little projects. The work bench is awesome – just his size, plenty of surface space to work on and it came with lots of fun accessories!
This is what the corner looked like before:
The first thing I did was clear it out to see how much space I had to work with. I knew I wouldn’t need much, the Home Depot work bench is a little under 3 feet wide with all attachments so it fits perfectly!
Once I had the corner cleared and the wall scrubbed I got to work setting everything up. The workbench went against the side of the house, then I added a little rug so the kids can work at it without their shoes on, then made a hook for Judah’s handyman apron and set up a few chairs that I picked up for $5 each.
After everything was set up I still felt like something was missing, so I created a fun sign saying “Judah’s Place” that I attached to the wall above his workshop as a fun accent and to really make the space personal to him. It was super easy to make and took me all of 15 minutes. If you want to make one for your littles here is what you need:
- small piece of wood – I’m using a cedar plank I picked up at Home Depot for around $4
- glue for the letters
- Acrylic sealer (spray)
- Printed letters (I used photoshop but you can use PicMonkey)
- Hair dryer
First print and cut out all your letters. Next, sand your wood until it is smooth. After that, apply some glue to the letters and stick them on your wood. Dry it quickly with a hair dryer. Now spray 3-4 generous layers of acrylic sealer over the entire surface and let it dry. Ta-da! How cute is this?
Make sure if you are doing a sign like this to secure it to the wall. Since mine is up against siding, I nailed it diagonally to the deck railing and then the door frame on the other side. Once everything was finished all that was left was to reveal this awesome new play area to the birthday boy. He absolutely loved it and got right to work building the included foam truck!
It was a little tough to figure out at first, but check out the finished product – it has fun dump action too!
He loves all the fun accessories and gadgets that it comes with (more on that in the video below) but his favorites are the real working light that he can hang and the drill with battery powered rotation and sound. I love pretend play toys that give kids an authentic experience, and this work bench has it all in a compact package with plenty of storage space.
Kaia even loves getting in on the fun too – she brings her stuffed friends out and lets them watch her get to work. I love that it is a great size for BOTH my 2 and 4 year old.
The Step2 Home Depot Handyman Work Bench is available exclusively at Toys R Us for $89.99. you can create a fun workshop like this one virtually anywhere – a deck, the back yard, a playroom and more! This was the perfect “big boy” birthday gift for Judah and as you can see fits a nice size range from 2-4 years old. I think Judah might outgrow it in a year, but by then we will *hopefully* be in a new house and have more room for a bigger workshop. Plus I’m sure Kaia will be happy having it all to herself! Before I leave you, Judah and I made this fun little video of him showing off his new workshop. I know it is shaky at times, but he was connected to a microphone with a super short cord. Hope you like it!
