diff --git a/sdk/lib/framework/components2/scaffold.dart b/sdk/lib/framework/components2/scaffold.dart
index 4cac5d2a9d9..ea6c3797b35 100644
--- a/sdk/lib/framework/components2/scaffold.dart
+++ b/sdk/lib/framework/components2/scaffold.dart
@@ -130,6 +130,9 @@ class RenderScaffold extends RenderBox {
     }
   }
 
+  String debugDescribeChildren(String prefix) {
+    return _slots.keys.map((slot) => '${prefix}${slot}: ${_slots[slot].toString(prefix)}').join('\n');
+  }
 }
 
 class Scaffold extends RenderObjectWrapper {
diff --git a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/box.dart b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/box.dart
index 9c97a6cde32..0be7bb90f24 100644
--- a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/box.dart
+++ b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/box.dart
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ class BoxConstraints {
 
 class BoxParentData extends ParentData {
   sky.Point position = new sky.Point(0.0, 0.0);
+  String toString() => 'position=$position';
 }
 
 abstract class RenderBox extends RenderObject {
@@ -213,6 +214,8 @@ class RenderSizedBox extends RenderProxyBox {
     if (child != null)
       child.layout(new BoxConstraints.tight(size));
   }
+
+  String debugDescribeSettings(String prefix) => '${prefix}desiredSize: ${desiredSize}';
 }
 
 class RenderClip extends RenderProxyBox {
@@ -285,6 +288,7 @@ class RenderPadding extends RenderBox with RenderObjectWithChildMixin<RenderBox>
     }
   }
 
+  String debugDescribeSettings(String prefix) => '${prefix}padding: ${padding}';
 }
 
 class RenderImage extends RenderBox {
@@ -359,6 +363,8 @@ class RenderImage extends RenderBox {
     if (needsScale)
       canvas.restore();
   }
+
+  String debugDescribeSettings(String prefix) => '${prefix}url: ${src}\n${prefix}dimensions: ${requestedSize}';
 }
 
 class BorderSide {
@@ -417,6 +423,17 @@ class BoxDecoration {
 
   final sky.Color backgroundColor;
   final Border border;
+
+  String toString([String prefix = '']) {
+    List<String> result = [];
+    if (backgroundColor != null)
+      result.add('${prefix}backgroundColor: $backgroundColor');
+    if (border != null)
+      result.add('${prefix}border: $border');
+    if (result.isEmpty)
+      return '${prefix}<no decorations specified>';
+    return result.join('\n');
+  }
 }
 
 class RenderDecoratedBox extends RenderProxyBox {
@@ -495,6 +512,8 @@ class RenderDecoratedBox extends RenderProxyBox {
 
     super.paint(canvas);
   }
+
+  String debugDescribeSettings(String prefix) => '${prefix}decoration:\n${decoration.toString(prefix + "  ")}';
 }
 
 class RenderTransform extends RenderProxyBox {
diff --git a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/flex.dart b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/flex.dart
index f719dada7c7..189f5619d64 100644
--- a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/flex.dart
+++ b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/flex.dart
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ class FlexBoxParentData extends BoxParentData with ContainerParentDataMixin<Rend
       flex = other.flex;
     super.merge(other);
   }
+  String toString() => '${super.toString()}; flex=$flex';
 }
 
 enum FlexDirection { horizontal, vertical }
diff --git a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/object.dart b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/object.dart
index 736d67771c2..46b414f3c14 100644
--- a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/object.dart
+++ b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/object.dart
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ class ParentData {
     // override this in subclasses to merge in data from other into this
     assert(other.runtimeType == this.runtimeType);
   }
+  String toString() => '<none>';
 }
 
 const kLayoutDirections = 4;
@@ -219,6 +220,18 @@ abstract class RenderObject extends AbstractNode {
   // }
   // You must not add yourself to /result/ if you return false.
 
+
+  String toString([String prefix = '']) {
+    String header = '${runtimeType}\n';
+    prefix += '  ';
+    String settings = '${debugDescribeSettings(prefix)}';
+    if (settings != '')
+      settings += '\n';
+    return '${header}${settings}${debugDescribeChildren(prefix)}';
+  }
+  String debugDescribeSettings(String prefix) => '${prefix}parentData: ${parentData}';
+  String debugDescribeChildren(String prefix) => '';
+
 }
 
 class HitTestResult {
@@ -252,6 +265,7 @@ abstract class RenderObjectWithChildMixin<ChildType extends RenderObject> {
     if (_child != null)
       _child.detach();
   }
+  String debugDescribeChildren(String prefix) => '${prefix}child: ${child.toString(prefix)}';
 }
 
 
@@ -401,4 +415,18 @@ abstract class ContainerRenderObjectMixin<ChildType extends RenderObject, Parent
     assert(child.parentData is ParentDataType);
     return child.parentData.nextSibling;
   }
+
+  String debugDescribeChildren(String prefix) {
+    String result = '';
+    int count = 1;
+    ChildType child = _firstChild;
+    while (child != null) {
+      if (result != '')
+        result += '\n';
+      result += '${prefix}child ${count}: ${child.toString(prefix)}';
+      count += 1;
+      child = child.parentData.nextSibling;
+    }
+    return result;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/paragraph.dart b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/paragraph.dart
index 7d9d5721c37..8e352e4544a 100644
--- a/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/paragraph.dart
+++ b/sdk/lib/framework/rendering/paragraph.dart
@@ -61,4 +61,6 @@ class RenderParagraph extends RenderBox {
   }
 
   // we should probably expose a way to do precise (inter-glpyh) hit testing
+
+  String debugDescribeChildren(String prefix) => '${prefix}TEXT (${color}): ${text}';
 }