Book: Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)

[mouser]

What I especially love about this book is how each thing is written up as an experiment that a child can do and record their notes on their experiments.  Love it.

Fifty Dangerous Things (you should let your children do) is the first book from the people who created Tinkering School. With projects, activities, experiences, and skills ranging from "Superglue Your Fingers Together" to "Play with Fire," along with 48 other great ideas, the book is a manifesto for kids and parents alike to reclaim childhood. Easy to follow instructions, fun facts, and challenging undertakings that will engage and inspire whole households... More importantly, there are many "dangerous" things that are interesting, eye-opening, enlightening or just plain fun! And while there are aspects of danger in virtually everything we do, the trick is to learn how mastery actually minimizes danger. Most of us learn how to walk without toppling over at a very young age, so that walking is no longer dangerous. Next we learn to negotiate stairs. Why stop there? Why not practice and become proficient at walking on the roof or walking on a tightrope?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0984296107/

[MilesAhead]

If it was written by W. C. Fields #1 would be Play In Traffic.

[attach]

[VictorM]

I assume letting your kids make "friends" on Facebook is out of the question.

[alivingspirit]

#1 is licking a 9 volt battery. Is this really so dangerous? My research says no.
#2 is playing in a hail storm. Again, not dangerous.
#3 somersault. Ok, I'm not buying this book.

[Shades]

[dark humor]

According to the index the list doesn't look to be that tame as people suggest.

However, what is the deal with nr 10? Is that 'playing with the vacuum cleaner' or '"playing" with the vacuum cleaner'?

But better yet, it would be better to let them experiment several of the items at once. Like (19)standing on a roof from a building with a lot of public (29) wearing your self-made sparking flying machine (24) falling into a dumpster (33) that is filled with gasoline (45) and glass (47).

Nah, I would finish the book way too fast...like maybe two or three regular Friday nights or so. 

P.S.
Hmm, maybe I finish it at once if could borrow someone else's kids 

[/dark humor]

[mwb1100]

If it was written by W. C. Fields #1 would be Play In Traffic.

Master Shake: Okay, now this time we're going to cross the street the hard way.
Meatwad: The hard way?
Master Shake: Long ways!

[JennyB]

According to the index the list doesn't look to be that tame as people suggest.

I wasn't all that adventurous as a child, but I think I did them all, apart from the ones involving trains and domestic appliances that weren't around then. 

What do you remember doing as a child that you would add to the list? I have fond memories of walking barefoot on the road in summer, when the sun had melted the tar.  Not so fond memories of having to clean up afterwards. 

[parkint]

[dark humor]

According to the index the list doesn't look to be that tame as people suggest.

However, what is the deal with nr 10? Is that 'playing with the vacuum cleaner' or '"playing" with the vacuum cleaner'?

But better yet, it would be better to let them experiment several of the items at once. Like (19)standing on a roof from a building with a lot of public (29) wearing your self-made sparking flying machine (24) falling into a dumpster (33) that is filled with gasoline (45) and glass (47).

Nah, I would finish the book way too fast...like maybe two or three regular Friday nights or so. 

P.S.
Hmm, maybe I finish it at once if could borrow someone else's kids 

[/dark humor]

That would also seriously limit the repeat-sales of the book.

[mwb1100]

What do you remember doing as a child that you would add to the list?

Fireworks!

(the book might cover this in the "Play with fire" item)

[wraith808]

I did several interesting things with fire:

• Light pinestraw on fire and throw aerosol cans in the fire
• Mix egg and gasoline in a container, light it, and throw it on army men (I love the smell of napalm in the morning!)
• Use aerosol cans as a flame thrower with matches to light up army men (I still remember the trouble I got into for doing that one!)

Ok... I guess I was a little obsessed with fire when I was younger...

[mwb1100]

Ok... I guess I was a little obsessed with fire when I was younger...

From my recollection of what my friends and I (and even other kids in the neighborhood that I barely knew) did I can say that you're certainly not alone in that.  I think most every kid has a little pyromania at some point (fire's pretty fascinating - many dangerous things are).  Knowing what I know now, I'm actually a little surprised how few serious accidents occurred.  

Better that this stuff happen under some sort of supervision (which is what I imagine the book is really all about).  Time to get some matches and let the kid have at them... sort of.

[JennyB]

Use aerosol cans as a flame thrower with matches to light up army men (I still remember the trouble I got into for doing that one!)

It took a second to realise you weren't from Northern Ireland 

[scancode]

I was slightly worried at the 'poison your friends' one... Turns out to be salt on cookies. BORING BOOK!

[wraith808]

Use aerosol cans as a flame thrower with matches to light up army men (I still remember the trouble I got into for doing that one!)

It took a second to realise you weren't from Northern Ireland 

I guess I left out the word "plastic".

[Darwin]

Everyone - note the title of the book (and this thread):

Book: Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)

Emphasis mine...

[app103]

From my recollection of what my friends and I (and even other kids in the neighborhood that I barely knew) did I can say that you're certainly not alone in that.  I think most every kid has a little pyromania at some point (fire's pretty fascinating - many dangerous things are).  Knowing what I know now, I'm actually a little surprised how few serious accidents occurred.

When we were kids, we were not allowed to come anywhere near matches and parents would search their kids looking for them. (there was this little problem on our block with kids building bombs with firecrackers and a certain part from tinkertoys and blowing potholes in the street)

But that didn't stop us! We all had little magnifying glasses that came out of Crackerjack boxes.  

When I was a little older, I had a definite dare-devil streak running through me. When I think back to the crazy things I did, I wonder how the heck I ever lived to see the age of 12.

Our local library had big columns in the front and a ledge that went all the way around the building. I was skinny enough to squeeze between the columns and the building and get out onto the ledge, which I would walk all the way around. In the front of the building it wasn't so high off the ground, but around the back it was about a 3 story drop.

I can remember watching movies as a kid where someone would end up stuck on a ledge of some skyscraper and have to walk it till they found an open window to climb in and it was always portrayed as something dangerous and scary, and I never understood why. To me walking a ledge on a building was a piece of cake...did it a million times, on a much skinner ledge than in the movies.

They have since remodeled the library and the columns are gone, along with the marble stairs that had a smooth part on each side, that I went sliding down head first, like a sliding board. They built an addition on that makes it impossible for anyone to get to that ledge any more.

Of course the really steep hill I used to go rollerskating down, on the uneven sidewalk, jumping all the bumps, is still there.  

I also had a 3rd floor bedroom with a roof outside the window, that I used to love going out and just sitting there, in the middle of the night, whenever it snowed.

And except for the rollerskating down that hill, my parents had no idea that I ever did any of this.