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Active Sitting - Could We Give Our Kids a Future Without Back Pain

Why do 80% of Americans seek medical care for backpain during their lives, compared to only 3% of Japanese? In this fascinating talk Turner Osler examines the sitting disease that afflicts the western world, and suggests a $5 solution for our kids so that they will not suffer the same fate. Turner Osler was an academic trauma surgeon (University of Vermont) for over 20 years with over 300 peer reviewed papers and book chapters. But then he went off script, got a masters in Biostatistics, an NIH grant and abandoned the operating room to study trauma epidemiology. Somewhere in the last decade he became obsessed with the problems that come from sitting too much. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Where do I find one?

If you are up for a fun project, you can choose from two methods for making your own chair. If you’d like to purchase one that’s already cut out and ready for easy assembly, we have that option too.

CNC Router

Using a CNC router to cut the chair pieces. Get as many as six chairs from one standard sheet of plywood.

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Traceable Pattern

No CNC router? No problem! Print out our design, trace it on your plywood, and cut with a jigsaw or even a hand saw.

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Buy One

We'll ship you a box with all of the pieces. Assembly takes about five minutes and requires no tools.

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ButtOn Chair Features

Handy-Dandy Handle

A handle built into the leg for easy carrying.

No Glue or Screws

We designed special joinery so the pieces just snap together. Just bang it together with a rubber mallet, no fasteners necessary.

Non-Slip Seat

Our seat is textured so students won’t slip off while they’re rocking. Also included in the box is a 1/2" thick, blue seat pad for cushioning.

Adjustable Height

We offer three different sizes, but if a child is in between the sizes, we provide guiding marks on the legs so you can saw them off to be the correct size.

Affordable

By using an old tennis ball or lacrosse ball, we offer active sitting on the cheap.

Educational

Teach kids how to either build a chair from a computer file or from hand tool instructions.

Download Designs

You’ll get an email from us with a link to the CNC router files, the pattern for hand tools, and other helpful resources for building your own ButtOn Chair.

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