The Classic SeeSaw (N.Y. 1910) Leaving the playground with a sore tush after your seesaw partner gets off suddenly, leaving you to plummet…or getting smacked in the face by the seesaw…used to be a regular treat, but not anymore! The classic wooden seesaws at more than 600 New York City playgrounds have dwindled


down to just one left (as of a few years ago) according to  the country due to updated federal guidelines requiring  not as safe for smaller kids as other equipment.


Merry-Go-Round (1918-Now)


Many have fond memories of spinning so much on the merry-go-round that discombobulation was inevitable once you got off. Due to lawsuits in New  skittish to keep this classic piece of equipment in today’s playgrounds.


Metal Slides (1955)


 Wicksteed Park in 1922, an attraction that essentially amounted to giant slabs of wood propped at an angle for children to ride down. A few hundred splinters later, the idea surfaced to make these wooden playground slides metal. Just about anyone who grew up between the 1950s and 1990s recalls that trip down a metal slide on a hot summer day.


Originally made of wood, Merry-go-rounds quickly transitioned to being made of metal and did not have protective sides. Today there are a few merry- go-rounds still to be found on older playgrounds, as most have been ripped out in favor of safer, less rust- prone alternatives.


Continued On Page 28  wscai.org 27


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