Gever Tulley - 50 Dangerous Things

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Probably the Most Dangerous Pledge You Ever MakeI, ______________________ will demonstrate that danger can be conquered withskill and determination. As proof of this, I will complete the challenges put forthin this book. Maybe not today, maybe not this week, and maybe not this year, butone day I will check off every one of these Fifty Dangerous Things.Dated, this ____ day of the ____ month, in the year ______.

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FIFTY DANGEROUS THINGS(you should let your children do)

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PRAISE FORFIFTY DANGEROUS THINGSIf overprotected, overpraised, and overscheduled kids are the problem, Gever Tulleyhas provided a solutionfifty of them, in fact. This wonderful guide will stir youngpeoples curiosity, fire their imaginations, and provide a map for exploring excitingnew worlds. If youre a parent, the one dangerous thing you should do for yourchildrenand yourselfis to read this inspired and inspiring book.Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of A Whole New Mind and DriveWith Fifty Dangerous Things, Gever reminds us that growing up is a risk-rewardproposition and learning comes through experimentation. So, get this book and bethere with your kid every time they say, Ooh, thats cool! Plus, you know, you get toplay with fire.Ken Denmead, bestselling author of Geek DadA rebuke to a world of blunt-edged scissors, insipid molded-plastic playgroundequipment and perpetual parental anxiety.Lawrence Downes, New York TimesWhen kids DO things, instead of just watching or clicking or texting, they LEARN.And they love it!Lenore Skenazy, author of the book and blog Free-Range KidsGreat stuff. My kids are fascinated by it. Its a cracker. Im seriously tempted tohave a go at flattening a coin on a train trackas long as we avoid the electrified thirdrail, it should be OK.Conn Iggulden, bestselling author of The Dangerous Book for Boys

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To your basic contemporary hovercraft mom like me, Gever Tulleys FiftyDangerous Things is at once exhilarating and terrifying. Tulley makes a convincingargument that the only thing standing between my kids and true competence in theworld is my anxiety. Tonight, theyll be supergluing their fingers together. Hopefully,Ill soon work up to letting them explode a bottle in the freezer or go Dumpster-diving.Ayelet Waldman, author of the Mommy-Track Mysteries seriesTulleys method: Encounter hard problems. Work them out. Make stuff. Feel great.Do more. I want to go back in time and attend Tinkering School.Cory Doctorow, bestselling author of Little Brother, on BoingBoing.net

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FIFTY DANGEROUS THINGS(you should let your children do)

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Gever Tulley and Julie Spiegler

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NEW AMERICAN LIBRARYPublished by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division ofPearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL,England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division ofPenguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road,Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty.Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, NewDelhi - 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, NorthShore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books(South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, SouthAfricaPenguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, EnglandPublished by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.Previously published in a somewhat different format in a self-published edition.Copyright Tinkering Unlimited, 2009, 2011All rights reservedREGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADAWithout limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, inany form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, orotherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and theabove publisher of this book.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataTulley, Gever.50 dangerous things (you should let your children do) / Gever Tulley and JulieSpiegler.

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p. cm.ISBN: 978-1-101-52855-61. Safety education. 2. Play-Safety measures. 3. Danger perception.I. Spiegler, Julie. II. Title. III. Title: Fifty dangerous things (you should let yourchildren do).HQ770.7.T85 2011613.6083-dc22 2010046865PUBLISHERS NOTEThe activities described in this book are by their very nature potentially hazardous.All participants in such activities must assume the responsibility for their own actionsand safety. The information contained in this book cannot replace sound judgment andgood decision making, which can help reduce risk exposure, nor does the scope of thisbook allow for disclosure of all the potential hazards and risks involved in suchactivities.While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers andInternet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the authorassumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication.Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume anyresponsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any othermeans without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Pleasepurchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourageelectronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors rights isappreciated.Tinkering School and Fifty Dangerous Things are trademarks of TinkeringUnlimited. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All namesincluded throughout this book are used in an editorial fashion only and for the benefitof such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark.www.fiftydangerousthings.com

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DedicationThis book is dedicated to our bold, caring parents who gave us the opportunity tomeet the world on our own terms, then patched us up and sent us off again whenwe needed it; and to all the parents out there like them.

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AcknowledgmentsWe sincerely appreciate all the help we received in creating this book. These are justa few of the many people who have supported this project:Jennifer Spiegler and Mori Jake NishihiraJessica Grunwald BraunMatt SpieglerGeetha ReddyMichael GoughMayumi HondaSteve DaveeRobyn OrrThanks to all of our wonderful Tinkering School alumni (and their parents andsiblings) who assisted with testing: Piper, Fiona, Nik, Gus, Sam, Isaac, Leo, Kate,Charlotte.Special thanks to Liz Smith and her boys Hooper Smith and Josh Michalski, Katherineand her boys Connor and Brendan, Jeff Kleinman and Tracy Bernsteinand manyothers who inspire Gever every day.

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DisclaimerThis book is for entertainment, enlightenment, and education. We have done our best tobe as accurate and clear as possible, but we assume no responsibility for errors oromissions in the content of this book. Nor do we assume liability for any damagesresulting from actions taken as a result of any information included this book.Keep in mind, results may vary. Remember that thats half the fun: figuring out yourown, unique solution to every project or challenge. We disclaim any liability forinjury that may result from any useproper or otherwiseof the information in thisbook. We do not guarantee that any of the information is complete, safe, or accurate.Dont forget that we did entitle the book Fifty Dangerous Things! Please exercisegood judgment and common sense.Remember to obey all laws and respect all rightsincluding property rights andindividual rights.And above allhave fun!

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