dangerous things
When Gever Tulley started compiling material for his book 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do), he knew exactly how to kick things off on the right note: by asking kids to lick a nine-volt battery.
“Even now, it’s still my favourite thing to get kids to do,” says Tulley, face lighting up with enthusiasm. “It’s so visceral and so fun to watch them build up the courage to actually lick the battery. And the sensation is so strange!”
But for Tulley—a San Francisco–based computer scientist turned pioneering educator—getting kids to lick a battery isn’t mere prank fodder, it’s a jumping-off point for an entirely new way of engaging with the world. Because in Tulley’s universe, danger isn’t something to be avoided: it’s part and parcel of growing up. And right now, he says, we’re starving our kids of this precious resource. “If we always say no to our kids, if we’re always telling them what
