I learned with DS5 that blocking him from any areas would only increase the chance of him hanging himself from the ceiling fans. Instead, I left everything open, and he had access to most everything (only locking up really sharp objects & medicines, etc). I was lucky that he understood early that certain things are just not for a child to be doing, and even to this day, he will tell you he is not allowed to use knives, etc, due to the dangers.
The creativity of your DD, if nothing else, proves that she is able to look at a situation and come up with a "solution" to solve her "problem", even if it's not the safest.
Your family's reactions sound like how my own family would've reacted.
