I used to make my own gunpowder and pu ‘warheads’ on model rockets.
And that is among the safer things I did as a kid.
I’m trying to raise my son to take chances, with reasonable success (he likes motorcycles, guns & fireworks, and knows how to use a pocket knife& properly start a fire) - but the nanny-staters are working hard to undo my work.
A lot if things were tougher in ‘the old days’, but I think my parents had it easier than I do trying to rear a [reasonably] well adjusted, independent child who thinks for himself.
I remember smacking a roll of "caps" with a hammer just to see what happened Sometimes a nice detonation, sometimes not.
Heck, having a roll of caps now is probably a felony and bring the BATF SWAT teams down on you.