Traffic Light Thought - When do the children learn?

Driving to work I passed a bus full of Primary School children and wondered when they learn about the world?

It was a walking bus, a group of children being herded to school surrounded by fluro-vested parents. While it's s a major improvement over the motorised, often SUV, school run it's still very controlled.

I remember the walk to/from school as a highlight of the day. It's when we learnt about the big, yes sometimes bad, world with it's joys, fears, fun and pain all on our own. It was the first time you experienced independence and responsibility. When do todays children learn that?