#BUILDYOUROWN SEESAW!
EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE LOVES TO SEESAW!
No matter where we have worked in the world, people young and old love to seesaw. Given that seesaws require a close connection with another person, feel perfectly risky, and, like a swing, give a brief sensation of ‘flight,” it’s not hard to understand why they are beloved. Despite the joy they bring, seesaws are often falsely vilified as being too risky and have been removed from most playgrounds across the United States. Most kids today have never seen a seesaw nor heard of the word ‘seesaw,’ but they know exactly what to do with one when placed in front of them and our community-built seesaws quickly become magnets of adventure in any project. Senior citizens, on the other hand, will immediately identify our seesaws, want to use them and begin to wax nostalgic about play.
Fairly simple to build with tasks appropriate for all ages, seesaws are affordable, durable, easily movable, and irresistible to all ages. They are a great way to quickly bring and inspire more community-generated play on your street as well as in your park, school, and backyard. Indeed they are a great way to kick-off a larger community project. The design of the seesaw has been refined on the sidewalks, parks, and vacant lots with communities throughout the United States as well as being routinely copied around the world.
WHAT ABOUT HANDLES?
Can you make it even better? Possibly. Some folks will find that they want to add handles and there are numerous ways this can be accomplished. We don’t include handles in our design, because we have found that it really is a personal preference and handles can inhibit different uses of the seesaw as well as encourage unnecessary risk-taking because people feel too ‘secure’ with them.
IT’S TIME TO FALL IN LOVE WITH SEESAWS AGAIN. SEESAWS ARE PERFECT FOR PHYSICAL DISTANCING!
Obviously with the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to balance the need to maintain physical distance with our very human desires to feel connected to the people around us. Happily seesawing, particularly with our 8’ version, perfectly meets these needs. As such in the plans that you can download below, we have included recommended dimensions for two different seesaws: a 6’ seesaw that is perfect for most backyards and an 8’ seesaw that is great for public spaces and the current need for physical distancing. The 8’ seesaw is great for ALL AGES, while the 6’ seesaw is a little more geared for children.
WE can’t wait TO SEE WHAT YOU BUILD!
We are over-the-moon when we see versions of our seesaws popping up not just around Philadelphia but in places as far flung as Vancouver, Cleveland and Kansas City. Please take pictures of your seesaw(s) and tag @tinywpa on social media!