When I was in grade school (1950s) we had recess in the morning and the afternoon in a field and adjoining woods that to our eyes was a hundred acres or more. There was a metal jungle-gym, teeter-totters, monkey bars and swings with wooden seats. They pretty much let us run wild with teachers watching and maybe organizing games like red-rover, crack the whip kick-ball or softball. In 6 years only one kid got hurt, fell off of the jungle-gym and broke his arm and nobody sued. As Mrs. Fella says growing kid need to play hard and get the “Ya Ya’s” out.
I’m from the same era. We had a playground that extended up onto the hillside behind the school. No trees, just sage brush. We ran all over that hillside, played tag, dug pits - one pit was quite big. The principal came by - all he said was “I wish you’d put that much energy into your school work”. The only kid I remember ever getting hurt was the one that stole my squirt gun. I lobbed a rock at him across the draw and, to my great surprise (and his), hit him on the head....