Session: Construction + Community, Winter 2026
Builders: 11 high school students
Materials: redwood 2×4 lumber, pine 1×4 spacers, exterior paint, coated wood screws
Tools: drill, impact driver, chop saw, jigsaw, speed square, paintbrush
Community Partner: Wildmind Science Learning

Description:
After constructing three fabulous chairs for our fireside chat—and after a riveting visit from the fine folks and wild teachers from Wildmind Science Learning—this crew of builders moved on to build as many benches as they possibly could in just three short weeks. That’s about 6 hours of active working class time!

We first built these benches in 2021 for Tiny House Empowerment Village and this design, which we adapted from this building plan we purchased on Etsy years ago, has become somewhat of a signature style for us at Girls Garage. After spending a session learning how these benches were constructed, it was all systems go for this crew of builders. Week after week, students showed up ready to mark, drill, and drive wood screws to secure each piece of lumber together. Thankfully, staff members helped prep (cutting on the chop saw and pre-painting spacers) a bunch of material to alleviate some of the repetition. In total, we finished TWELVE benches! No need to sit on our excitement any longer, we are in total awe at what this crew created together 🎉