Gever Tulley knows how to make learning fun.

Five years ago, he founded Tinkering School, a camp where kids are encouraged to build all types of wild contraptions. Think, make, tinker reads the motto. Now, along with fellow Tinkerer and wife Julie Spiegler, he’s assembled Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do), a collection of projects and activities for junior thrillseekers.

Conceived as a collection of “‘dangerous’ things that are interesting, eye-opening, enlightening or just plain fun,” the book was rejected by at least 16 publishers, likely due to potential lawsuits. Why all the worry? With chapter titles like “Lick a 9-volt Battery,” “Break Glass,” “Make a Bomb in a Bag,” and even “Play With Fire,” it’s bound to make a few parents nervous.

Each of the 50 activities include a “how-to” guide, appropriate warnings, and some scientific factoids. There’s also a “Field Notes” section, where kids can write down their observations, and ideas on how to improve the project.

Despite all the controversy about the book, what’s overlooked is that it provides a great opportunity for families to spend quality time exploring the world together. And to blow stuff up.

Kids love to create their own little world whenever they can. Leave any child alone with a sheet and two chairs for five minutes, and they’ll build their own Fortress of Solitude, far far away from the Land of Boring Grown-Ups. We know that kids thrive when given their own space; there was even a little boy named Max who became a king.

Play forts are fun, but when you’re looking for something a little more permanent than a cardboard box, check out Modern Cabana. They create pre-fabricated buildings using sustainable materials like bamboo flooring and recycled denim insulation.

Recently, they’ve begun offering the “Kiddo” model. Housed in a compact frame (48″ x 65″), the modern, sleek structure includes tons of natural light, a multi-paneled door, chalk paint interior walls, a fold down table, and even a paper roll art station.

Available for about the same price as that HDTV you’ve been eyeing, it’ll give your kids years of enjoyment, and it might even let you reclaim a little bit of your own home.

Two years ago in New York City, Lenore Skenazy handed her 9-year old son a subway pass, twenty bucks, and said good-bye, leaving him to take the subway back home. Is this the heartbreaking story of a child’s abduction? Nope. Her son was fine—in fact he loved it. But when Skenazy wrote about the experience, angry parents wanted to see her locked up for child abuse, and she was dubbed “America’s Worst Mom” by the media.

Cut to 2010, and Skenazy has become the “Generalissimo” of the Free-Range Kids movement, which she calls “a common sense approach to parenting in these overprotective times.” We recently spoke with the always funny and outspoken Skenazy.

The Dad List: You talk a lot about parents needing to give kids time and space to explore.

Lenore Skenazy: In our desire to help our kids, we’re outsourcing their childhood to ourselves. “Let me help you with this, let me fix that.” And who’s the one that’s just sitting there like a blob? It’s your kid. One mom wrote me a fantastic note that summed it up: “self-confidence is not parent-assisted confidence.”

TDL: So, when did this transition happen where parents started to find the danger in everything?

LS: I would say it’s been in the past 15 to 20 years. A big factor is that there’s more media, and when the media is competing, they have to get you to pay attention. The story that keeps people glued is an abduction. “Entertainment” shows have picked up on that too, so the same stories that you see on CNN, you’ll see with a ghastly twist on “CSI” or “Law & Order” or all the other ones. They find the most compelling story they can—kidnapping—and they bring it to us day after day.

TDL: What are some first steps for raising a free-range kid?

LS: You want to always look for ways to increase kids’ independence. When they show you that they’re capable of crossing the street safely, and know to never go off with a stranger, then I certainly think a 6 or 7-year old can walk down the block and knock on a friend’s door without it being an international incident.

For older kids, try unplugging for a day so they can’t call you and tell you exactly where they are. Once, I got a call from my son asking if he could have another piece of banana bread, and I thought, “you’re 10!” In another era, he’d be a silversmith apprentice, and here he is asking if he could have another slice of homemade, healthy banana bread because he’s hungry.

I thought (laughing), this is a terrible moment for both of us, because somehow I’ve trained him that he needs to ask, and somehow, he’s listened to me! So, one way to help your kids grow up is to just not take your cell phone with you, since they’ll never leave theirs at home!

Lenore Skenazy is the author of Free-Range Kids, and speaks regularly around the country.

“Dad! Make us pancakes!!!!”

If your morning has ever started with a tiny person demanding pancakes, then you’ve probably gone through this debate in your head: Hmm, pancakes would be good, but aren’t the eggs a little old? Plus, the kids’ll just gobble them all up in five minutes while I spend the next 20 minutes doing dishes. “Nope, sorry, not today. Let’s have cereal!” you say to your disappointed audience.

The next day though, you’re at the store and you spot a tiny miracle: Batter Blaster. What’s this? A pancake and waffle mix in a can. Hilarious! Just like Cheez Whiz, right? But then you look a little closer and see that Batter Blaster uses organic ingredients, cage-free eggs, and the entire package is recyclable. Suddenly, these are sounding better than your Aunt What’s-Her-Name mix.

Of course, the big question is how are they? With a light and fluffy feel, they’re pleasantly good. Granted they’re not the best pancakes in the world, but making them is undeniably fun for everyone—kids love to get in on the action and help out. They can use the spray nozzle to make the most artistic pancakes around; crazy shapes and letters are no problem. And afterwards? Even easier. There’s no powdery mix to wipe up, and no measuring cups and mixing bowls to clean and put away.

Sorry, looks like you’re out of excuses. Every day is pancake day now.

Do you like to talk about all the home projects you’re going to finish someday? It’s probably a really impressive list — surely, your kids will just love that dream tree house. Instead, there’s rain gutters that need cleaning, lawns that need mowing, and that pesky job where they expect you to show up five days a week. Oh, and you don’t have any trees in your backyard anyway. What to do now?

Face it, it’s time to call the experts. The folks at Daniels Wood Land create incredible tree houses, all featuring their signature crooked windows that make it look like a team of drunken elves got loose in the workshop one night.

Based on the motto of “Tree Houses that come with their own Tree!” the Daniels Wood Land creations use giant recycled logs in nearly all their designs. Available models include the “Scallywag Sloop” (pirate-themed), “Country Playhouse” (Huck Finn-era shack), and even custom Castle and Tropical themes.

And of course, each tree house can be outfitted with as many additions as your wallet can handle. Items like tire swings, fireman’s pole, rock climbing wall, trapeze bars, and a swinging bridge are all available for a few more bucks. While you’re at it, pick up some extra snacks too, because you’re about to have every neighborhood kid start begging for a playdate.

Based on a very simple premise, Stomp Rockets are among the very few toys that are a hit with just about everyone. Any 3-year old can figure it out: put your rocket (actually a soft foam tube) on the air hose, stomp on the pad, and watch it blast off into the sky. Then, do it again for the next three hours. On those Saturday mornings when your kids need to burn off some energy, Stomp Rockets come in very handy.

The creators of Stomp Rockets, D&L Company, claim that they’ll go as high as 100 feet, but it takes far less to inspire total delight in your kids. Sure, you could even use the rockets to inspire a conversation about gravity and physics, but it’s more likely that you’ll find yourself seeing how high you can launch the rockets while screaming “awesome!”

A small warning though: if you take Stomp Rockets to the park, your child is going to have to be OK with taking turns (or else they’ll need to learn very quickly). Once you start using them in a public place, you’ll soon have a small swarm of kids around you, anxious to get stomping.