Over time, public playgrounds have become safer: metal apparatuses were replaced by wood and then plastic, concrete or gravel was replaced by grass and then recycled rubber pellets, and anything that could conceivably present a risk was removed. Kids crave thrills, independence, creativity, and a feeling of accomplishment, which is why you take your kid to a playground and find them climbing the fence instead of the plastic ladder. "Adventure playgrounds" are different. They have building materials and tools for children to design their own equipment. They allow children to take risks while still in a controlled environment, which teaches them how to judge danger. And kids have way more fun.
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When my son was in kindergarten another kindergartener died on the school playground. The knot in the strings that tightened the hood on her coat got caught in a gap where the plastic slide connected to the platform. She was strangled. Every effort should be made to make playgrounds as safe as possible. Five year olds should not be at risk for playing on their school playground.
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How can you learn what _not_ to do if you don't fail (in this case, get hurt)? Basically, you're practicing, and developing your skills. I completely understand the insurance deductible thing, though.
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There is no such thing as a 100% safe playground! Kids are incredibly ingenious in finding new ways to get hurt. That's childhood, that's kids.
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One mother explained why she can't let her kids take any risks. Sadly, it's because her family's health insurance deductible is so high that one trip to the ER would ruin them.
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