It has seen some water damage and the varnish is flaking off (especially on the top). But I don't necessarily have the time/energy for a full strip/sand/refinish, especially as this may get dinged up; I'm just looking for a reasonably pleasing look.
Looking at the bare wood that was between assembled pieces, it looks like the piece was stained and then varnished. What's a good way to get the old flaking varnish off without messing up the stain -- Citristip, just sanding? Thinking I'll just put some coats of new polyeurethane varnish on as the new finish. Most instructions I see online are for a really thorough refinishing, so I'm wondering if there's some middle ground that will clean up the worst of the water damage and protect the wood, even if it doesn't look like new.
Closer view of the top:
Forget the chemicals, you'd need to be an expert to insure a good finish after strippers. Sanding should do nicely and not be too hard - it's also one of the steps kids can help with. From the looks of it sanding by hand or with a jitterbug should be enough. Sand with the grain. Maybe 120-150 grit until it's uniform and then 220. Use a tack rag to get the dust off. Then stain if you want and then the poly, at least 3 coats with a very light sanding between them - follow the instructions on the can.
As it's for a kid, I'd suggest using some water-based and toy-safe acrylic paint.