Gever Tulley

You know, I did a lot of stupid stuff when I was a kid - I squashed pennies on the railroad track, played with fire, threw rocks at a hornet's nest - and hey, I'm still alive today. But my mother has a lot of grey hairs on her head.

But Gever Tulley has made a science experiment book like no other - these are experiments that are actually quite dangerous - but with great care and safety - and parental supervision - it take the element of danger and risk and makes it fun for young people who show more like to find out stuff for themselves. Give this book to a youngster on his 11th birthday, and watch their face for one heck of a reaction. But don't let the title fool you - these experiments are actually quite safe, provided that the budding amateur scientists know what they are doing, understand the risks, employ parental supervision and exercise safety, competence and caution when trying something new for the first time. Trust me - any kid who has a heart of adventure will think that you are the coolest parent on the planet by getting this book. There is one thing I will say for sure about this book - it is NOT BORING. Wear your lab coat, put on your safety goggles, wear those gloves and go to town and experiment! It's the best way to learn! show less

I can't recommend this highly enough. We're bringing up a generation of kids that have been protected from every possible danger, no matter how remote. Kids need to be allowed to try and fail; fall down and get hurt; climb trees; everything that we did as kids. We turned out just fine, so what are we doing keeping them wrapped up in bubble wrap, afraid to go to the park.

Gever lays out a very simple list of things that we should do with our kids. None of it's really dangerous and it's all a show more lot of fun and educational at the same time. show less

More of the free-range kids-type stuff. Fine, but nothing spectacular or particularly insightful.

(Kindle Single) (TED Books) But our society has created pervasive fears around letting kids be independent and take risks -- and the consequences for our kids are serious.