I recently had the opportunity to review the Doodle Roll. If you haven’t heard of this product before, you’re probably thinking…”What is a Doodle Roll?” Well, let me explain…

A Doodle Roll is kind of like a portable canvas for kids – or adults – hey, I’m definitely not judging. I used one of the Doodle Rolls I’m reviewing the other day because it was in the car and handy when I needed to jot down directions that I conveniently left at home. So, it’s not only great for kids, but us forgetful adults, too!

Here’s what I received to review:

• One 4″ Doodle Roll
• One 6″ Doodle Roll
• One Replacement Pack of Double Sided Crayons

When the package arrived and I opened it, I found everything neatly packaged. At first glance, I wondered how in the world I would be able to figure out how to arrange the Doodle Roll to easily roll out like it did in the  pictures, but low and behold, I figured it out in less than a minute and presented it to my child shortly thereafter.

Now, the Doodle Roll is recommended for kids age 3 and up. My son is two and a half, but I just had to have him try it out to see how long it would occupy his time. I have to say that I was surprised that he was so mesmerized with it that I couldn’t get him to go sit down at the table with it. Oh, no. Not my son. He wanted to be comfy and sit in daddy’s recliner – good thing the Doodle Roll comes with crayons instead of markers! That’s another bonus to having it in the car as well. Even if it gets hot, as long as those crayons are kept in the plastic kit when not in use (think summer), you don’t have to worry about them melting. You also don’t have to worry about marker or pen ink gracing the seats of your car!

I was really surprised at how well the paper held up while he was drawing on it against the arm of the recliner. If you look closely in these pictures, you can tell that he’s really putting a lot of pressure on the paper with those crayons.  The  paper didn’t tear at all; however, we did have a few crayon casualties. We’re used to that with him. He’s a heavy drawer – so heavy that he even breaks the thick crayons. That said,  I kind of figured that he’d break them all within the first five minutes, but it took him about ten to break the first one and then there was only one more casualty over the next 20 minutes. Of course, breaking a crayon never stops us from using them. When they get too small to do much with, we put them in his sister’s crayon maker to melt them down and make them new all over again.

What I really liked about the Doodle Roll is that it succeeded in holding my son’s attention for at least 30 minutes and it was indestructible enough that he didn’t break it within that time frame – to be a bit more clear, he has YET to break it, which I think is a major accomplishment because a lot of things just don’t hold up well to a toddler’s play practices. My son thought it was neat that he could draw on it and then have me roll it back up, too. However, I think the idea is to tear off your creations when you have completed them.

Overall, I give the product an “A” on my grading scale because of its durability, capability to hold my child’s interest and ease of portability. With the holidays coming up, this would make a really cool stocking stuffer, too!

Update: from now until 11/5, you can take advantage of a great deal on Doodle Rolls on Gilt.com and save some money in the process!

Doodle Roll is also one the sponsors for my Something for Everyone Giveaway, so you have a shot to get everything I reviewed completely free – plus – one Limited Edition Doodle Roll Mouthman Hoodie (kids size 6-14) and MORE! What? You want to know what the hoodie looks like? Well, check it out below =)

Want to find out more about Doodle Roll? Visit their website at www.DoodleRoll.com, follow them on Twitter or find them on Facebook to keep up with the latest happenings and awesome offers!