Countless communities have virtually outlawed unstructured outdoor nature play, often because of the

Countless communities have virtually outlawed unstructured outdoor nature play, often because of the threat of lawsuits, but also because of a growing obsession with order. Many parents now believe outdoor play is verboten even when it is not; perception is nine-tenths of the law.
----Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder