First rule: You never lift up a child somewhere. If it can't climb up alone, it's too small for it. Children know their limits. If you lift them up they do not learn their limits and then accidents happen. Second rule: You only help them if they ask and they tell you how to help. They need to be in charge of their action.
Lmao so true😂 US kids be like: daddy I'm scared of that climbing wall with sand beneath so you cant hurt yourself if you're not a moron, give me my glock
Spielplätze werden regelmäßig geprüft. Es gibt so genannte Prüf-Stücke bzw. "Kinderfinger" die eine Normgröße haben. Damit werden sämtliche Zwischenräume getestet. Des weiteren gibt es da eine grosse Bandbreite an Tests und Sichtungen die durchgeführt werden. Sollte man Mal auf etwas beschädigtes Stoßen sollte man der Stadt schleunigst bescheid sagen damit die sich drum kümmern. Die werden sich garantiert keine Zeit lassen da sie für nicht sichere Kinderspielplätze haften.
As a German parent I can say that - in general - we raise our children to be independent and explore the world. Of course, I try to keep them away from harm and injuries, but if I told my son that the hot plate on the stove is hot and he will get hurt and he decides to touch it anyway, I see it as a very valuable lesson. The same principle applies to playgrounds, trees, walls, bikes etc. Most children in the US miss that opportunitiy. The reason afaik goes back to the 80s and 90s and the kidnapping panic. There were some very high profile kidnappings back then and as a parent I share the same fears in some respect. On the other hand, Germany is very different and saf(er) place compared to the U.S., city design is just one example. As a matter of fact, as a parent I am protected by our laws in case my child does some damage. As a parent I have the duty to supervise my child, but case law established the rule of the "long leash". If my child is at an age that it understands my advice not to go to close to parked cars with a bike and causes some damage anyway, I am not personally liable and the damage is covered by an insurance without any questions. This really happened and the premium didn't even increase as this is considered a normal/usual part of life when raising children - or living in an area where children live.
@@Theigzorn yeah free healthcare in oz 4 all but unsure what would happen if the kid caused property damage. Am guessing as a parent (which I'm not) it'd b my responsibility which is fair. Not such a litigious country either
The most important concepts to understand is in my option „kids don’t wanna get hurt themselves“ and „kids understand when something is dangerous and feel fear“. Even if you see the kids running on a high wall etc. they don’t do so because they are irrational, but they feel comfortable doing so. If they thought they could fall every moment, they wouldn’t run that fast. So especially if you let the kids explore their own abilities from a young age, they know what they can do and will not overestimate themselves, which leads to injuries. Also, speaking as a former kid, a broken arm here or there isn’t the end of the world because everybody learns from that and we have health care
And you won't get sued, or taken your kids away. Instead, the TÜV makes sure there's only risks kids can understand. Like "this is high up" or "you could geta splinter", but never have to consider statics or material failure.
We used to play tag, running full on on two by fours nailed between trees. About five foot up, gotta say I don't think I'd do it now.(But I'm 62 I would break myself)
I actually specifically remember walking along a low wall, probably less than a meter high, in front of my (primary) school. Not running, just walking. And it was fairly wide, too, wider than my feet were long. Then some adult walking by tells me not to fall off. Like... I wasn't planning to. And the chance of me falling off this wide wall is close to zero. If I do somehow manage to lose balance, I can also just jump down. I obviously said none of this, but that irked me quite a bit. Enough to still remember that today, apparently. Seriously, give children some credit. Constantly being underestimated is super annoying.
@@Yotanido yes 100%. People assume way too much irrationality from kids. Like sometimes they don’t think far ahead, but they are not just plain stupid lol.
People talking about safety on German playgrounds really shouldn't worry. There are very strict laws, European and German standards about the ground the equipment is on for e.g.. When the playground is build it's not just putting those things there. They always make sure that falls from a certain height cannot seriously injure your children. Generally every playground has regular check-ups about safety every single week! And major checks at longer periods. Again, that's the law. So it may look very casual but it isn't.
Und wie oft werden sie gewartet wenn sie 1 mal gebaut sind? Das ist wieder so ein Ding, daß in anderen Teilen von Deutschland ganz anders ist. Und Bayern ist für mich kein Vergleich mit dem Rest von Deutschland.
Right, they get checked out regularly but in some places they look pretty trashy 😂 but security regulations are strict here so everything is meant to be child-proof. And banging your head on wood or hard plastic....💁 Probably no difference 😂😂😂
"Generally every playground has regular check-ups about safety every single week! " erzähl doch keinen Quatsch ... Wie viele zehntausend Leute willst du dafür abstellen? 😂
@@dreamdog7346 Natürlich gibt es auch Unterschiede und nicht überall in Deutschland kümmern sich die Gemeinden vorbildlich um ihre Spielplätze. Wie auch?! In unserer Gegend (viele Gemeinden) kenne ich keine schlecht gewartete Spielplätze.
As a German, I also love the McFalls and their videos ! It is so cool to hear their perspective and most of the time, they are mentioning things, that are so "normal to me", that I did not even think about, how awesome they actually are. So they also kind of make me more grateful :) I am looking forward to see you reaction to more of their videos/adventures :) !
This is a strange thing, I moved from one German country to another because of the better schooling system. All the parents on my new location look at me with big eyes, because they think that the system here is so bad, because they do not care what is it like elsewhere and see only their own little problem with it.
Now you know about German playgrounds you should totally watch something about "Abenteuerspielplätze" or "adventure playgrounds" they are basically like mini theme parks with bigger and more exciting playground features.
My daughter son-in-law and two grandsons are living in Germany now, my son-in-law is a dentist in the US Army in Grafenwoer Germany. We spent four months from February till May this past winter, love Germany very much we’re going back in Christmas. our two grandsons loved the playground and adventure parks we’ve been to many from Munich to Nürnberg to Garmisch and many other places. They live in Bavaria, very many great playgrounds for children and lots of adventure. Germany is a magical place.
Spider web-like climbing frames up to 5 m high are spread all over the city in playgrounds and high ropes courses, where platforms are attached to chains and children balance over them at a height of 2 m. Children can also hurt themselves. As a child, I was often in the hospital for treatment for fractures, deep cuts and bruised ankles.
If you are in the Far East of Germany, visit Kulturinsel Einsiedel near Zentendorf. Its a huge play ground. I regret having grown up so I cant play there anymore. You can climb, you got cave systems, its awesome. Actually, the wood work behind it can be seen in a lot of play grounds in other cities. Those colourful rubber-wood constructions are from there.
Everything that has to do with education must be "pädagogisch wertvoll " (educationally valuable) in Germany. This includes everything from toys, playgrounds and nurseries to television programs. We adults often joke about it, but we all know how important it is. Edit: What I would like to add is that in Germany we have relatively cheap insurance and healthcare. Nobody here needs to be afraid of going broke just because they had an accident or a cut that needs stitches.
Which is why I never got in trouble from my parents, even though I had to be treated in the hospital at least once a year between the ages of 11 and 17.🤗
Ah, parents being there, talking, watching the kids together. Bringing snack and drinks. Maybe someone is cutting some apples or carrots, extremely popular when cut up in slices. The kids discover their limits by themselves. The parents are there if something happens, but don't do things for the kids.
To build German playgrounds is a pain in the … because of all the rules and laws about safety, materials and so on. If you build it, the TÜV comes and controls if all is correct and nothing can harm the kids. TÜV is like an institution to test all kind of stuff, you cannot use or produce without passing their tests. We are very serious with that. After the playground passes the tests, it will be controlled after an amount of time, perhaps once a year or every two or so. And than the city has to repair it if necessary. If not possible the playground will be closed as long as it needs to fix the issues. So all playgrounds are certified by the TÜV.
tbf, the german manufacturers usually "prepare" their products pretty well. they make sure their products are build according to the norm (that the tüv bases their inspections on) and usually prepares stuff like drawings with all needed space requirements for planning. also, inspections are far more frequently. if you are running a playground, you have to do a visual inspection every week, a more detailed inspection every 3 months and then the main inspection every year. the latter two inspections are also done by qualified inspectors.
Also every playground in Germany is certified by the TÜV (engl. Technical Inspection Association) for safety reasons - you can't just put there anything you probably want
When I was a kid, Mom would kick us all out of the house by 9 AM and they didn't start to worry about us until dinnertime. If we weren't home for dinner, we were in trouble (to say the least), We had a community Swimming pool a couple blocks from home and that was usually were we could be found most summer days.
A major element in US playgrounds having evolved into fairly standard, anodyne, sterile places is the tendency of US parents to sue municipalities for any small injury a child suffers while in a playground. In most of the rest of the world, such litigation is uncommon unless the equipment is poorly maintained and thus becomes seriously dangerous.
Sad... It's really sad to see how often us. citizens try to sue for every reason... Your kid fell from playground? Sue. Your family member committed a crime and get shot by police ? Sue. It's crazy ...
@@Sir_Mike Unfortunately the great poverty divide in the US leaves many people seeing these as a chance to change their situation, like winning the lottery. Of course a big part of that is the extreme cost of medical treatment and care in the US, driven by ridiculous insurance costs, that exist because people want to sue. The two real winners? Lawyers and Insurance companies.
In Germany playground equipment needs to be certified. If it is certified it is deemed safe. If something happens it is considered bad luck. You can't sue anyone for injuries and as everyone is covered against medical costs it's not a big thing. On some playgrounds we have rope nets shaped like a tent. They are 6-8m tall and are considered safe. The lower ropes are so high are the space between the ropes are so wide that really small children can't climb up. The ground is sand to dampen drops but this is totally safe as long as you take the time to teach your kid how to climb. My kids could climb them at the age of 4-5.
I live in a Bavarian village, next to a playground and a football (soccer, for you Americans) field, and I really wonder how well educated these kids are. Sometimes, a football lands in my garden, and they really ASK me if they could enter and pick it up. The garden gate is always open, of course they can. Whether I did it out of generosity or curiosity, I can't tell, but I've been offering free WiFi for some years now, and the number of devices signing on and off keeps increasing. But: My bandwith indicator says they're not doing much with their phones. I guess they just didn't turn the automatic off, so the phone connects automatically.
@@fabi-jj1kd It's the village I grew up in, except that there was no playground back then, and if our parents had known what we did with our bikes, we'd been in trouble. (I guess they sometimes knew, but didn't mention it.)
Fun fact: After Dusk these playgrounds become hangout spots for teenagers. They sometimes party there and have fun with the stuff while drunk. Generally they do not litter for two reasons: 1. Germans, we value recycling. 2. Most often practised in small villages, do not leave evidence ALL parents know each other. 11:27 You will find vomit near that thing.^^
Ummm ... that might be the case for playgrounds around you, but we have a mole going out into a lake close by ... which is littered with glass shards often enough from the teenagers partying weekend evenings.
There was a trend too in the Netherlands to make playgrounds safer and safer. The playgrounds became so boring that kids wouldn’t want to play there. Now playgrounds are becoming more challenging again. Yes, they can fall, bump their head or worse but they love it. Their motoring skills, self confidence and independence improve a lot. They’re playing unattended unless they’re too young to play unattended; below 5-6 years.
The McFalls are a really nice family, with a lot of great content. It describes all aspects of the immigrant life in Germany, the pros and the cons. The Land/state Bayern/Bavaria has made it law that beer is considered a staple food, like bread, several dairy products, rice, potatos, etc. So why wouldn't playgrounds have little stands/kiosks that sold beer there? It's not as if people drink beer (necessarily) to get drunk, but because they like the taste. The fun part about many German playgrounds is that it inspires the fantasy and thinking of kids to modify how they can use the equipment on the playground. Not just use it in the intended way, but come up with new ways to have fun with it. But yeah, playgrounds always include a minor 'danger' amount that may result in minor injuries if abused or an accident occurs. Mind you, not in a way that will result in permanent injuries. But no parent would consider suing the county over such minor injuries, or even something more major like a fractured arm or even a leg, unless it was out of malicious neglect. But that teaches kids to understand their limits, and even to deal with scrapes, bruises, etc on their own without instantly relying on mommy or daddy to patch them up. A childhood without scraped knees wasn't a childhood; it was a cage.
I remember as a kid, in the UK, we used to have these giant cast iron rocking horses. Around 5/6 kids could sit astride it, down its length and it would rock front to back. You did NOT want to stand behind that thing when the riders got it really going! I also remember the metal slide would get red hot in the summer and burn you on the way down. Happy times ...
In the UK we have the generic playground equipment, but I spent most of my childhood in the 60s and 70s making rope swings across a brook or running around in the woods, climbing to the top of tall trees, getting covered in cow shit, mud and stagnant water. It was complete freedom and adventure. If you misbehaved an adult would take you home and tell your parents what you did. Then you'd be in trouble. It was really safe because people would look out for all the kids. Wrapping your kids in cotton wool and bubble wrap stops them from learning. ✌️❤️🇬🇧
as agerman i can only approve :-) 'it is the way' boys will be boys, and parents should let boys play more unsupervised. I went to the tank-taining grounds in munster, stealing camo nets, munition belts, and communication wires 🙂 i probably pissed off a number of english and german soldiers ...:
As a Swede, I miss these kind of playgrounds. They were a lot more common when I was a kid (I'm 40). Nowadays the new playgrounds go for the plastic:y "safe" look and feel.
There also always someone will be there if something goes wrong. We also teach our older Kids to take care of the smaler children. We also send them off in groups when they are older, always with the knowledge they take care of each other.
from year 8 to 12, is where most kids practice independence, and they will be on their own most of the times, going to/from school, out playing, taking the bus/train/subway or on their bike, going somewhere...
Its a learning process. I live in the Netherlands. We have canals and streams all over the place. With no guard rails. 'but what if someone walks or drives in' 'why would you walk or drive in'. We all can swim. We all learn very soon that if you dont watch where you go: you can fall into the water. So we dont
America has this weird mix of "i don't give a crap about the danger" and "oh no, everything is a death hazard!!!". Though the first one probably causes the second.
I recommended it under your last video, but I have to put it into perspective. Bavaria is for sure the richest federal state in Germany and the regions where these playgrounds are located are very wealthy and live from tourism. That means money got invested in playgrounds. In poorer, non-touristy regions, the playgrounds are unfortunately not as beautiful and natural. There are also sad playgrounds with lots of metal and plastic and rubber mats. I recommend anyone who will move to Germany and has children: have a look at the local playgrounds, there you can see how family-friendly the place is. Where the playground is sad, neither for your children nor for you it will easy to get in touch with others. Unless it's a small village, there you don't need a playground, forest and meadows are the playground.
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany What does "rich" mean in that context? North Rhine-Westphalia has a higher GDP, but also a bigger population. Bavaria has a higher GDP per capita (third place, North Rhine-Westphalia in fourth place). Bavaria has the highest average income per capita (North Rhine-Westphalia in seventh place).
Der Rest von Bayern ist kacke. Erst das Armenhaus Deutschlands und jetzt alles was irgendwie mit Fortschritt zutun hat torpedieren. 10H Regel und uns Niedersachsen allen Ernstes vorschlagen fracking zu betreiben. Cannabis ? Nein , lieber riesige Sauffeste und eine völlig verkorkste Populistische Politik... Bayern ist alles andere als toll.
Where have you found these „sad playgrounds“ in Germany? I do remember some from my childhood (without the rubber mats), but they have been replaced by nicer things.
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Jesus Christ, why so defensive? The claim was not clear, hence why I asked. What does "rich" mean for states? GDP? If so, why?
German playgrounds are still very safe. There is in fact a whole book of regulations that need to be met when you build a playground in germany. For example, all of the playground installations need what is refered to as a "fallarea". That's an area that is filled with some sort of shockabsorbing material, usually sand, bark mulch or round gravel. The idea here is that if a child falls down from the installation the material in the fallarea absorbs most of the shock leaving the kid only mildly injured at worst. Another examnple from those regulations is that every playground needs to be checked by TÜV, an oversight body for safety concerns, before it can be opened to be public and usually even consulted during just the planning period.
to add to this: the book of regulations you referred to is not really in place to prevent accidents, but rather prevent accidents resulting in bad injuries with long term effects and/ or death. for example, the placed regulations are not trying to prevent a kid from falling down, but rather make sure the kid wont strangle itself while falling down or cracks its head on concrete. so yeah, even though the chances of bad injuries are pretty slim, its still very much possible to break a bone by "just playing" on the equipment, however, thats pretty much the point of "learning from your mistakes" haha.
10:51 - The equipment gets even better with this info: For safety reasons this equipment usually is designed to withstand the weight of adults too, so a lot of teenagers (and some sneaky playful adults too) just also play on them. =D
Of course, sometime accidents happen, but you don't get broke from a broken arm in Germany. It's completely covert by insurance. As I was 14 or 15 years old. I and 3 other kid were playing on a playground that was part of our camping ground. There were 3 trampolines side by side. We all 4 were jumping from one to the other. At some point, the smallest (about 10 years)of us flew in the false direction and landed on the floor. That happened before, but normally nothing bad happens, but this time he landed badly and broke his arm. I had a first aid training in school just before summer break and was for 3 years in the youth Department of volunteer Fire Brigade. So I told one of the guys to watch him, to calm him down and try to distract him. Sent the other to the reception. I made a quick run to our caravan to get a first aid kit, took out the Triangular scarf and made a loop for his arm. A few minutes later, the Ambulance arrived and took him to the Hospital. Next day his parents took us all to the next ice cream parlor for a big ice cream cup and every ting was good again ;)
Hi Joel, at 3:47 you see the castle Eltz, the best preserved castle in Germany from the 12th century. It was build by one Earl of Eltz and has been owned by the same family ever since , which means they have been living there for more than 850 years. The present earl represents the 34th generation. It was never conquered! It is sitting on a hill 130m a.s.l. amidst forests and valleys.
In that video, they have a really high wall. This is not the norm here! But balancing on lower walls is pretty normal and is a lot of fun, as I remember from my childhood. 😉
Like genuinely, the fire thing is so funny to me because i remember being taught that's it's safer to light a match by making the movement away from your body, and to put it on a non flammable surface when i was little, and I instinctively still do this now, even though I obviously don't need those extra safety measures anymore....😅😅😅
I don´t understand: Playgrounds in the USA are so boring and save... but at home they have tons of guns... and they send their children to play American Football, which is a very violent game.
worse, student football makes so much money from american television and the players often dont even get enough to deal with their subsequent medical bills
I remember in another video by an American women living in Germany she was talking about kids. And at one point she says "They look like 15 or 16." And it wasn't the first time I noticed that Americans seems to consider that human beings under 18 are all kids that must be protected at all costs but the second they turn 18 they are grown-up responsible adults (except for drinking). OFC it's a broad generalization but it's quite jarring to hear about "16 years old kids".
@LeSarthois I'm American and this is true. I've referred to 16 or 17 year olds as kids also. It depends on their mentality though. Some children kill, but I wouldn't call them a kid then. Kid is more of an innocent term
7:20 well that are more 'destination playgrounds' for day trips. There is no normal neighborhood playground with a foodstand or tables set up like that.
Many also forget that all playground equipment/play facilities that are open to the public always require a certificate from the TÜV (technical inspection association) before being made available for sale and at regular intervals during the period of use. In particular, the connections, springs, etc. are checked. And if you discover a defective device, you can contact the citizens' office and receive information there or be forwarded to the appropriate department. Yes, office mills grind slowly, but I can't recall defective units being left unrepaired (or dismantled) for more than 4-6 weeks **Another department, of the same "association" that regularly inspects and labels our cars.
Children's playgrounds are very safe as long as they are not too old and have not been damaged. There are even building regulations about how big the area has to be at least so that a child cannot fall off. At least 1.50 m around the playground equipment. There is no direct playground in our suburb. There is only one in the allotment settlement nearby. Those were the days when I went to the playground with the neighbour's children or my friends from school, it was like a little trip. Or we built a tree house in the woods of the allotment.
I am 22 now and at our small bavarian village we had a playground. But we prefered the woods and the nature in general. These kids from the Video are raising in such a great area of Germany
much love from germany to you Jps! youre a rly good human :) i think we german just needed this reactions from other countrys also is it nice too see you learning bout us. cause for the most ppl we know there was the ww and we didnt know whats up with u guys livin in other countrys thinkin bout us! this is not a competetiv world! everyone should know that. LOVE COMES FIRST, COOL COMES AFTER! keep on! it makes the world more perfect for everyone
@@ryanhelton1865 appreciated a lot beeing good with each other even the big sea between. ur right and i wish more countrys will join! 🤝 have a nice week my man!
As a German who grow up in the 80s i can say we played without Parrents on the Playground, we could go outside and meet us, only had to come back in the evening for eating. Today i feel a bit Bad for the kids when i see they have to play with their Parrents.
Exactly....I was outside all day.....at 6 year old already. You took your bike and rode to friends to play. Ok, a lot of stuff we did I only told my parents later, to which they replied 'Good for you we didn't know'. But these are formative years, you learn a lot, being independent, to entertain yourself with basic things, socially with friends, limits and boundaries, trouble when you get caught doing things that aren't allowed.....we sneaked into factories for instance and then lay on bags of brown beans with the girls, until we got caught and escorted out by amused workers.....or if you had bad luck one of the grumpier ones. What we never did was break stuff on purpose or steal.....my dad made it very VERY clear not to steal. I was also to be found in the local outdoor swimming pool with good weather....I had a subscription card and went there on my own from when I was 8 I guess.....usually with school friends.....I was (am) a very good swimmer, always going off the dive boards, the high one too. So many fond memories growing up. Oh....I'm a Dutch neighbour by the way. 👋
The challenge is to build the playgrounds so that they feel a bit unsafe, without actually being that. We have about the same mindset in Sweden as well, that kids should be outdoors, discover, learning their limits and so on. And they do. And of course the kids do fall some time and of course they get a bit hurt. But as long as the kids don't just sit in a sofa their whole childhood, that's natural. It's not dangeourus to get a tiny little wound even though it hurt at the beginning, but you will learn your limits and since you will practice every day, you also will get better and better at using your body and having control of what you're doing.
In Australia i have been to parks where there is something similar to “the wheel of death” but its a donut, super fun to go on, but man at times you would be grabbing it and you’d go round fully in seconds, super fun but also pretty terrifying at times!
Yes me too! The park down the road in suburban Melbourne has a park exactly like how this couple are describing the children’s area. I love it! It’s a bit scary sometimes but kids are resilient & parents sometimes forget that
Hey it's me again! I commentated on your video with the wall, where you were so worried about the kids. I'm glad you watched the video about the playgrounds and happy to see, that It helped you understand some things! I could see how fascinated you were! It's understandable that you freaked out when you had so other information - and that's why I suggested you watch a video about the playgrounds :) I wnat to add, that even as a adult playground still are fun to play around in and I think that's another reason that parents like to play around with their kids more (but that could be just me .... xD). And I even remember rising a bike with my gradparents to a playground and then sitting in the gras surrounding it under the tree's and just picknick there! It's just awesome! (That being said, I'm not from baveria, but the playgrounds shown in the video sum up pretty good what german playgrounds are about. If you want to, you can watch more videos from them, because they're very good at explaining things and not just throw stuff at you without context :D If you're interested, maybe you can watch their videos about the kindergarten (I think they'll explain more about the clothing, 'cause I remember you were surprised about the shoes in the one last week), about self reliance and about the school system. With that being said - I hope y'all have a great day/evening/night and be safe! :D
hello, some of my german fellows started to mention, that small injuries might take place, but are not considered as something bad.... can you stand up? can you walk? can you use your hands and arms? than, usually, you are fine. go on and enjoy yourself! 🙂 but even when something worse happens, like a broken arm or so, german parents dont need to panic, the health ensurance comes up with the costs! of course, no parents want their kids here to be seriously injured, but a broken arm ist not the end of the day and wont ruin the parents at all... furthermore, it teaches the children to be more aware of dangers! children, who are not allowed to do things, will become adults, who are not able to do things. its that easy! 🙂
your laugh and joy is so nice... sometimes i forget that my upbringing seems privileged for some people, at least compared tho their American comparisons
In some degree I'd say its a contributing factor to how smart and efficient Germany is. They get to think and learn fine motor skills from an early age. I think the playground is great, as a 55yr old l was lucky enough to grow up wandering through the Aussie bush and surfing, camping, fishing and " bmx-ing" without parents helicoptering around me. It was great and wholesome but I'd worry this day and age allowing a child to do the same. Wish l could go back to the 70-80's😢
The main problem isn't less safety but more fear. According to the numbers sexual child abuse has halfed in Germany since the 1950s. And the threshold for reporting child abuse is certainly lower today. So the real numbers most likely dropped even more. Still people are MORE afraid of child abuse today.
I really think the major difference is the reason why playgrounds are built in each country. In the United States they serve the purpose of having fun. In Germany Playgrounds are designed to learn while having fun. There is a lot of research and concepts in this kinda thing, its quite interesting to be honest. There are differnt kinds of playgrounds in Germany, wether you want it to serve a pedagogic purpose or wether you want it to have a much broader purpose overall like you would have at a playground in a public place like a zoo or something like that. There are also some "American" Playgrounds here, although not very often and most likely in more populated cities. Playgrounds in Germany is something we take very seriously, we want our children to have fun, but to learn while having fun - and it works very well!
Ingenuity and creativity start at such a young age. A society should do everything to support and endorse any activity letting children explore their capabilities as soon as possible.
I have to turn my volume to 100% (22 = normal value) to hear this video properly. You definitely have to increase it. P.S. I think maybe this kind of raising children in the US leads to people needing so-called safe-spaces when they are adults (which is a very strange concept to people outside the US)
the seesaw trampoline is so standard... they are everywhere! its like physics class for 4yo. child... its nice to see american parents being so excited about a super normal playground and I feel so sorry for american children living in a plastic world and having fun on a McDonalds playground while their parents eat burgers, chug away supersized soda and be on facebook
Jeezz, i grew up in a small town in southern Germany , i still remember as me or my friends of that time fell from one or the other tree , we built huts with the wood that lays around on the ground , and nobody supervised us. We would'nt have liked that one wee bit , as we felt we can do it by ourselves and did not needed any help. One my friends even broke his ankle while he slipped from a tree over a little river , so we carried him home to his parents , and get back to play. It was clear to most of us , be home by six o clock latest or you're going to miss evening dinner. And our parents just did'nt care , as long as we where home by 6 o clock in the evening , if your clothes where dirty you changed it cause nobody sits dirty at the table. And if you had bruises the only question was ,did you do it to yourself or did somenbody do it to you. 99% of the time those gashes or bruises where from playing wild and the rest was while some argument with guys from the neighbourhood or guys from other places got a bit heated up. But that about was it all. You either got a pat on the head and a question like, " are you okay , are hurt badly" or like" hey you know you're old enough now to know and do better,watch out next time! " And i cant remember that i or anybody else i know complaint a dammn thing about if we say fell from a tree or did hurt ourselves ba playing it a bit too wild. I think it would have hurt our pride in ourselves to give in and complain while we where on our own. I dont know , but these days , well kids are too much pampered, i guess??? Just my two cents in this.
Recently where i live there was a kind of village fete and there of course was an incredible amount of Beer as Well and the best Part was how it was still incredibly family friendly the area where it was going on was about 50% a Playground with a bunch of ways for Kids to stay entertained and when they got bored of that the bigger children actually poured and served Beer which they enjoyed quite alot. They loved how they were allowed alot of freedom and to stay up late, there were some that supervised the smaller Kids just keeping an Eye on them and when they got tired took them Home. This "Festival" went on from wednesday evening until sunday with some people sleeping on the premise.
One of the problems in america is the sueing culture. If something happens to the kid the city gets sued. This doesnt happen in germany. Also in case something happens to the kids in terms of injuries or even a broken bone, there is still the free healthcare where you dont need to worry about that. Maybe those are the main reasons
I survived my childhood with the forest as my playground. My mom knew how to clean and cover my wounds. Next time I was more careful as pain makes kids learn very quickly and my parents didn’t sue the trees i fell down from
Omg, Waldkindergarten is so awesome.. we only went there during Eastern vacation, but watching deers and boars (and smell nature) was an experience I will never ever forget
Where I grew up, there were 4 playgrounds basically right outside the door. The furthest was maybe 200 Meter away from our home. If I draw the radius a bit bigger, there probably were like 10 playgrounds within walking distance. And the best thing was, they were all different. I loved finding new playgrounds, as a kid, when I took a walk with my parents or when I was exploring the surrounding areas alone. It always was an adventure. But this is also based on where you live. We lived in a rather dense residential area. If you live in a small village somewhere, chances are, there won't be a single playground in the vicinity. But therefore you'll have plenty of nature to explore and play.
When i was younger (like 7 or 8) my mom used to go on runs and I would tag along on my bike and we picked a route that had like 7 different little playgrounds on it, and I would drive ahead with my bike and then could play on that playground till she caught up with me (usually about 5-10 minutes) and it was really fun!
i love their perspective. have u ever heard of forest kindergardens? would u consitter linking to the original video in discription? the shown playgrounds are very simmilar in denmark too.
The summer in Europe can get very hot but they still get the kids out and there is loads of childrenst fountains where the let the kids get wet with the cloths on and that brings their temperature back to normal in the hot day walking out. when they get cooled and dried whith in 5 minuts or less ( the temperature can get 30 - 40 Celsius which is up the 100 F) they get dry usually in 2 - 3 minuts and than they walk or bike a bit and than it is time for an icecream. Than is not just on the week end it is during the week, On the week end many of the easten European countries they get the kids for a hike even if they are a toddlers but just a small hights for to get exersise and trained for the hike later.
When I was a child in the seventies in the north of Germany at the country it was normal as it is today, when children were a bit older that they played alone with the neighboring children without parental supervision on the playground , climbed trees, played in the cornfields, with rode their bikes etc. And it`s true that many German fathers I know play with their children together on the playground, play soccer together, go on bike tours and go swimming together etc. without the mother. My husband is Italian but he is with our son and our daughter just like German fathers when they were younger also played with them on the playground , rode bikes together etc. That was completely normal sometimes doing some thing without the mother.😊💙
i remember when i was a kid ... when we where old enough to ride our bikes safe we usually where "kicked out " in the afternoon with the reminder come home when you hear the church bells .... well problem was i was so far away that i heard the church bells from the neighbouring village and went there instead of home ..... ups
We had a climbing tower out of a central metal pole and 4 sides of roped wide hole spider web. The tower was 6 meters high. It was part of the primary school yard on the same compund with out secondary school. We started a jumping challenge going up the 5 m highest rope into the sandbox until one of use broke an arm and we got stopped by the teachers.
They've just build something like it in my granddaugther's hood. We love it! 🥰 Best thing is it fits all sizes and challenges all ages. No excuses - you can't just SIT there.... You've got to try 🤣🤣
Will never forget the times on the playgrounds. My favorite as a child was the Schiffsspielplatz (ship playground), which had the old ferry of our village on it. Sadly a metal ship was seen as too dangerous nowadays, so they had changed it to an ugly plastic ship.
Lol "Achtung Baby" ... BONO must have read that book or the Writer is a U2 fan 😂 ( it was an Album from U2 released in 1991) Before you comment, i'm joking , i speak german as well and know the meaning is different in that case. 😉✌️❤️
As a former Child, the best playgrounds where the ones on special places, castles, rivers, mountains and the like. As those places had real dangerous places you could play at, made everything more exciting, but it taughht you better than a parent ever could what hurts and what not AND what you are capable off. I knew how deep i could take a falll, how to climb or how to find my way through unsafe passages in the Woods. I think the way we let our children kinda hurt themselves is making them more responsible and intelligent people.
*Achtung Baby* is a book by Sara Zaske from 2018 _Achtung Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children_ , an American mother who moved from Oregon to Berlin. you can find YT videos by her about it and it explains in detail the dfferent approaches in raising a kid
Tell that to my Ukrainian wife, if she lost our 10-year-old out of sight for 30 seconds, she starts shouting for him. I have been in the former soviet countries a lot and from what I hear, Americans and ex-soviets have so much in common, the whole cold war was so unnecessary.
Lol. totally missed that they reacted to my comment. I'm the one from the bavarian national forest. And yeah it was quiet a bit that i had to walk, but all the hiking trails led close by or through the forest playground.
There are also a number of different playgrounds in our area, but there is also a board at the entrances explaining how you (who) can stay (play) there and legal information.
we had kind of same stuff 40 years ago, already.... here in Germany... but i had a forest behind our house, we had a big playground for around 10 kids for years, in summer or winter... we played with our slides up to 11:30pm, at the age of 13...after i passed 16, i got no time to come home... with 19, i drove with my sister to Amsterdam, with mom´s car..lol!
I spent eight months working ion a "Jugendfarm" in Germany as part of the Federal Voluntary Programme (something else Germany that you may find interesting.) A "Jugendfarm" translates as a "Youth Farm", and in practice it's a lightly supervised play and activity centre. Ours had a animal section a creative workshop that I ran, with all kinds of sharp and dangerous tools, and a "Hut village" with a "City wall." This was a 2m high wooden catwalk, built by staff and children, with no railings whatsoever. As the video states, it is deliberately dangerous so children learn to take risks. My own kids were walking to school alone at age 6, cycling from about eight or nine, and travelling by bus and tram to schools some distance away by 11+.
It's interesting that some of the things in German playgrounds are also in Australian ones. Zip lines are common, and those big round swings. I have also seen some frighteningly tall climbing frames - though they do have rope nets to climb on them.
Joel, Has anyone ever suggested that you take us on a tour of YOUR locals? I for one would love to have a look at the local places you often eat, drink and play that you enjoy and are special and amazing to you. As a long time fan and follower. I would love to take a walk in your home town with you. Suggestion
🇩🇪😎We made it! Not only did we sell our playgrounds successfully to the kids, they work so good that we even got the american dad entertained (maybe even more than the kids😅)😎🇩🇪
yeah my nieces learned one rule playing outside we only cry if you bleed the head hurts or your limbs stand up in a weird way. worst shit happend was a toenail folded over while plaaying football with 12 kids
You should travel to Europe as soon as you can. You could also go as an exchange student for a year and really experience an other culture. Being danish, I went to Canada for high school for a year. Can’t recommend it enough for every young person
And here I am, a German mom raising kids in the US and being shocked about American playgrounds. Those towers that have an open side to them where a kid can easily fall off, about 1.8m off the ground.
Burg Eltz is Northern Germany. North-South is definded by Germany language dialects language group. Roughly a line from Düsseldorf to the West. There is also the ALDI equator - the ALDI North and ALDI South brand worlds representing the cultural North vs cultural South. BTW foreigners quickly do accquire a Southern or Northern German dialect accent.
no snack stands... nope... that's a weird touristy Bavarian thing o_o I remember from my childhood three distinct playgrounds in the village I lived in. Each was very different. One had a HIGH climb-tower-thing that we called "rocket". One was at the beach (great swings!) and the one next to the house I grew up in that had a mix and wasn't as special. Sadly they tore the structures down and put in similar structures that are "safe" to play with. Mum recently told me that she was like "I need to close my eyes or I'll scream" with the antics my friends and I were up to when she was around. But it was also important to her to let me discover my own limitations (third kid... my siblings also were out a lot XD). I think that is what I really miss about many of the newer playgrounds - they are much more safe than what I remember *grin*
Funny to hear that some playgrounds have a little Alm. It‘s just the other way around - those places where you can have a drink, snack and rest have a little playground for the kids. About „playground tourism“ - the main purpose is to have a family outing, walking, riding the bike - not to experience different playgrounds. The playground is the incentive for the kids to go on this (boring) outing and have fun as a reward while the adults have their well earned beer and chat. If it‘s just about playing, then kids get to go alone once they reach a certain age.
