Kids of all ages and sizes were swarming a giant, gray artificial mountain. If it didn’t have green slides down the face of it, it would be easy to mistake for real rock. My older son stood on a small hill in front of it, taking in the scene. Then he ran down the hill with a yell, ready to scramble up the rock face.

Last weekend, we went to Badlands Playspace, the closest thing we’re probably going to have in our area to an adventure playground. While it was inside and they didn’t have any way to set fires like the ones in Sweden, they did have the mountain and they use real power tools in their classes.

Although the facility impressed me, the kids themselves struck me the most. One could easily imagine something like this devolving into a Lord of the Flies scenario, with utterly dangerous chaos. Sure, they tell you that kids need to take risks, but you don’t really believe it, right?

But what I saw gave me faith.

The kids scrambling up the rock gave each other plenty of space. There was no pushing or shoving. They waited in line, rarely going too early down the slides. Older kids were cautious around younger ones. In the places where kids had to share things, like the craft area or section where they had pieces to build contraptions, they respected what the other kids were playing with. Someone always asked if we were using something before taking it.

One girl even had enough confidence to call out an adult on misbehavior – me! There were some cloth pieces in the craft section that looked like they belonged in a different area. I saw another parent use them in a way I thought was quite creative. The little girl heard me explain this to my son and said, “Those belong in the teepee area.” I responded, “If the staff member thinks they’re not supposed to be here, they’ll put them back.” She responded, “That would make things harder for them. And if they heard you say that, they would be sad.” Ouch. I sheepishly said, “Well, I’ll ask a staff member.” Of course, the person confirmed what the girl said. Despite my initial annoyance, I was impressed by her bravery and sense of responsibility. Not only did the kids respect each other, but the facility as well.

All of this mutual respect took place with little adult intervention. Staff members were overseeing everything, but I only heard them talk to kids a few times. Most of the time, they let the kids test limits and figure things out by themselves. Parents were often hands-off as well, following their kids’ leads.

After hearing so much about helicopter parents and institutions being overly cautious, the whole thing was refreshing. While there’s kids wandering around my old-fashioned neighborhood all the time, I know most people aren’t as fortunate.

The whole experience illustrated the power of giving kids the tools to explore and then taking a big step back. It’s amazing what kids can do on their own if we just trust them to play.

For more on encouraging kids to explore, check out 8 Ways to Encourage Exploration in Your Kids. Be sure to follow us on Facebook!