I just saw a documentary about the differences of kindergartens in Norway, England and Australia. It was hilarious (for a Norwegian at least). The focus on safety in England and Australia meant that the playgrounds was a flat and padded world where you could not possibly climb, fall or get injured. In England they did not even send extra outdoor clothes with their kids in the winter. The result of this was extremely boring and unchallenging kindergartens. 

A British expert said that kids could learn climbing at home, and that it was the parents task to do so. The British kids were out about 30 minutes during the day (in winter), cause it was cold for them. The Norwegian kids were out for hours.

They had an interview with a woman from Australia who had become boss of a Norwegian kindergarten. Her first instinct was to remove an enormous rock in the playground where the kids climbed and played. The parents of the kids stopped her, and she was slowly getting used to the cultural differences. While the interview took place, it was winter and the rock was covered with ice. The bravest of the kids (4-5 years old) got on top and slid down into a fence. They had great fun, but you could see in the woman`s posture that she was still uneasy about this. 

My own two kids come home with bruises on a regular basis, but then they have become great runners, climbers and know what could be dangerous and what is just fun.

just my two cents

Kindergartens here vary from state to state but they all have one thing in common. Plenty of things for kids to climb on, jump on, run on .....its called recess and it can last an entire afternoon. You have to see the little guys trying to conquer the slide by climbing up instead of sliding down. Good part is those areas where the slides, swings and other things are all surrounded by sand, not concrete or hard padding.

Legislators in both England and Oz look to the US and their 'creation' of a litigious society and decide it's in an Industry's best interests to 'play safe'.

As a primary school kid one of my 'tasks' was to take the lunch orders down the road to the 'local' shop...you know....pies sausage rolls...all those HORRIBLE things.....

I usually walked it.....on the white line down the centre of the road.....traffic didn't faze me.....actually managed the whole trip once.....about a mile.

There was the time at lunch.....when we were all lined up to go back inside....and one of the kids came out from the classroom....where he'd been cutting out table-tennis bats from a sheet of ply....the Stanley had slipped...and he was holding his wrist......

From 20 feet away I distinctly heard the squirts......quite impressive....arcing up about 2 feet into the air....

The teacher fainted [as you would]....the Headmaster fortunately didn't [it was a 2 teacher school].... so the kid survived.

OK...so it's maybe 50 years ago [almost]....but the stories I could tell.....

What you see now is a bunch of parents vainly trying to justify their urban trucks as valid kids' transport, etc.

Parents are a bunch of pussies who SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

bunch?... it's an epidemic 'round here.... I avoid going out between 3 and 4pm like the plague... streets around schools are jammed with ridiculous sized 4wd's......  I read where sales are now on the decline as the family car.... too many Dad's backing over their kids in their driveways and killing them.... it's just ridiculous.... vast majority of these vehicles never go off road...

yeah... you guessed it... my pet hate....  

Ditto.

AND if you don't run over your own kids with them....you'll kill them anyway when you round the next bend at 20kph....and the stupid  thing rolls like a drunk turtle....

Yep, my sister has one, 'Oh I need it for the all the kids school gear and when I go shopping'. But she always no money because of credit, petrol prices and having a new 4wd every 2 years. If you don't go off road, don't have one.

My dear old mum survived just fine with a little Datsun 120Y, with the three of us.

Was a Ford Escort here.....[incidentally bought from the dealer who made Mad Max's car]...

Good, at least we know there will be at least one car dealer in business when law and order runs out...   Although we could certainly use his time machine!

my family had a LARGE car (a valiant ap6 and even a caravan) and was a country town, but the car did get used for a lot of travel. when the car was retired to the paddock at 15 years old it had done over 400,000 MILES and had some rust in a couple of the roof pillars but was still running.

harpo

When the AP6 was around it would have been a 'compact' in the US ....as the 60's was the hey-day of the 'Yank-Tank' ....cars that wallowed like beached whales....I remember a 15 year-old driving his dad's Parisienne [Pontiac] to school [he got expelled - licence age was 18]...that had enough room under the bonnet for 3 engines the size of what it had in it.

Here's the Tank....[same model]

A Valiant [Chrysler] AP6

The bottom on our Kingswood had rusted out at the back. Our seatbelts were all the separated us from the whizzing road. Wish it wasn't the case, but we disposed of a lot of wrappers, paddle pop sticks, etc. via the road disposal unit beneath our feet.

Spiders, crocodiles, sharks, Dannii Minogue - says it all

Tons of fun there... Not!

Ya gotta watch out for them Drop Bears .....