"This philosophy also manifests itself in some of the “play" items offered to kids, like actual sharpened saws, nails, and hammers. Oh, and playing with fire is OK too. In addition to just-for-fun bonfires, kids can also have open-air cookouts, and there are also garden plots where rice is grown. A lot of the wooden slides and other play equipment had a hand-made look to it, because it is hand-made. You’ll frequently see kids themselves hammering together wooden boards to make forts or other simple structures.
“Isn’t this dangerous?” you might be asking, and the park itself acknowledges that it is…sort of. We spoke to two volunteers (Hanegi Play Park also has paid staff), mothers who frequented the ark when their own children were younger, and they told us “Of course sometimes the kids get small injuries, but that’s usually a learning experience for them. We want people who know the purpose of letting kids play to visit our park.”
“Isn’t this dangerous?” you might be asking, and the park itself acknowledges that it is…sort of. We spoke to two volunteers (Hanegi Play Park also has paid staff), mothers who frequented the ark when their own children were younger, and they told us “Of course sometimes the kids get small injuries, but that’s usually a learning experience for them. We want people who know the purpose of letting kids play to visit our park.”