Lenore Skenazy is a mother, the author of the book Free-Range Kids, and an advocate for allowing children to wander in public without adult supervision. Most famously, she allowed her nine-year old son to travel across New York City on the subway by himself. Skenazy argues that the dangers to free-roaming children are overstated, but that denying children unsupervised time out of the home is detrimental to their development.

Skenazy has therefore declared today, May 22, Take Your Kids to the Park and Leave Them There Day. The idea is that parents should take their children to a public park, tell them how to get back home, and then leave them there at the park to do so:

And once again, let me reiterate that this is not a day to leave our 2-year-olds in the park. It is meant for kids age 7 or 8 and up. And it needn’t be more than an hour or even a half hour. And you can just take a walk around the block, if that’s all you or your child are ready for. And you can give them cell phones! I just want to get kids out of the house so they can frolick and maybe even plan to do this strange thing where they ask a friend to “come out and play” again. And it’s a great time for parents to meet each other, too! The way to really make any community safe requires reviving just that — community! Connect with your neighbors and everyone watches out for everyone else.

What do you think of the free-range kids movement?

Link via Hit & Run | Photo: Motherhood Later

A twenty-week old unborn child gave his mother a distinct "thumbs up" gesture during a sonogram:

Marie Boswell, 35, says friends and family have been amazed by her son's distinctive 'ok' sign in the 20-week scan taken at Wythenshawe Hospital.

Marie, of Wythenshawe, Manchester, said: "It's really funny, the thumb is so clear - we can't believe it.

"I have big hands but nothing on the scale of his - he looks like he's wearing boxing gloves! We're thinking he might make a good goalkeeper.

You can view a larger image at the link.

Link | Image: MEN/Daily Telegraph

What is your favorite picture book from your own childhood?

I don't like The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I know that it's supposed to be about the selfless love of a parent to a child. But it's really about a very abusive, exploitative relationship, and it glorifies the tree for staying in it. This is a very bad message to give to children, and consequently, I don't allow it in my house.

Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister isn't terrible, but I think that it could be misinterpreted by a young child. It's teaches the virtue of sharing, but implies that it's possible to buy friends by giving people your possessions. We have a copy in my house, but when I read it to my toddler, I change the words so that Rainbow Fish sells his scales, invests his earnings, and becomes "the richest fish in the sea."

What do you consider to be the worst children's book?

Neatorama's own Stacy Conradt has a new article up at Mental Floss detailing ten unusual places that women have given birth unexpectedly. Here's a sample:

5. In a tree. In 2000, about a million people in Mozambique were forced from their homes when floodwaters ravaged the country. Or make that a million and one. A Sophia Pedro lived in a treetop for four days, waiting for her rescue and hoping that it would come before her baby did. Rescue did come, but it was moments too late – just minutes after the woman gave birth in the treetop, medics descended from a helicopter to retrieve them and cut the umbilical cord. Sophia and her daughter both recovered just fine.

Link | Photo (unrelated) via the EEOC

Researchers at the University of Toronto found that children who can lie effectively become superior thinkers later in life:

Researchers have found that the ability to tell fibs at the age of two is a sign of a fast developing brain and means they are more likely to have successful lives.

They found that the more plausible the lie, the more quick witted they will be in later years and the better their abiliy to think on their feet.

It also means that they have developed "executive function" - the ability to invent a convincing lie by keeping the truth at the back of their mind.

Link | Photo (unrelated) via US Department of Health and Human Services

Emily Yoffe writes an advice column for Slate called "Dear Prudence." Recently, one father asked her how he should deal with taking his young daughter into a public restroom. Should he use the men's or the women's? Yoffe wrote:

Dad, you need to get out of the ladies' room. It is cleaner and nicer, but even though you're accompanied by your little girls, you are going to freak people out. I also agree the men's room is not ideal. But you can quickly glance inside, make sure there is no one at a visible urinal, and whisk the girls into a stall with you. Ideally, you should get in the habit of anticipating toilet needs so that before it's an emergency, you have a chance to see if you can locate single-stall facilities that allow you to lock the door. Sometimes there are special handicapped or family toilets at museums, etc., that would work. In a year or so, when you feel your older daughter shouldn't be entering the men's room at all, you can stand outside and wait for a mother and child and ask the mother if she will keep an eye on your little girl while she does her business. And thank you for a toilet question that does not involve the country-dividing issue of toilet seat up or down.

What do you think the fathers of young daughters should do in this situation?

Link | Image: EPA

Little Golden Books are a series of classic American children's picture books, first published in the 1940s by Simon and Schuster. Pixar artist Josh Cooley has created a series of illustrations in the classic style of these books consisting of scenes from movies that are hilariously inappropriate for children. Pictured above is a scene from the 1996 movie The Professional about a young girl who befriends a hitman.

Link via Kotaku (where there's a gallery)

(YouTube link)

Courtesy of YouTube user dulie100, this little boy is having a fight with his parents. It spills over to include this other angry-looking kid in the mirror. -via The Corner

A prisoner in a German jail remains at large after placing himself inside a box destined for courier pickup. Trucks arrive at this jail weekly to pick up products made in its workshop, and the prisoner apparently took advantage of this security breach.

Link via Ace

Xylocopa addresses a serious deficiency in mad science education today:

Like many of you, we are concerned about the state of science education in the public school system, especially in the lower grades. Specifically, we have noticed that there is absolutely no training in the K-6 grades that prepares students to become mad scientists. In this competitive 21st-century world, the need for mad scientists will only increase, but the lack of basic education in primary school leaves us concerned that there will be no future students capable of leading in this illustrious field.

Fortunately, we have a solution - a first step, if you will, along the path to mad science proficiency. We are pleased to announce the release of our Young Mad Scientist's First Alphabet Blocks. These lovely blocks contain many carefully engraved illustrations of the equipment, training, and activities that a budding mad scientist will require, combined with a clever alphabetic introduction to the concept depicted.

T is for Tentacles, O is for Organs, H is for Henchmen.

http://www.xylocopa.com/product/mad-science-alphabet-blocks via Popped Culture

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The pilot of this radio controlled helicopter is a good shot.

I can immediately think of several ways that I could use this toy, none of which are legal.

Via Geekologie

The above chart shows Japan in a commanding lead with 295 industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers. However, given that robots tend to regard human flesh as bacon, skyrocketing robot insurance premiums, and the risk of interplanetary exile by the Robot Council, I'd say that Japan is only setting itself up for future problems.

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At least, that is the way that I would describe this hilarious 1954 clip from Sid Caesar's variety show, in which Caesar and an actress silently argue to the rhythm of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Run time: 6 minutes.

Via TigerHawk

The Covini Six Wheeler, its designers argue, has superior steering and braking capability due to its extra set of wheels. It will be available to buyers starting in 2009.

Follow the link for more pictures and a video of the Covini driving around a racetrack.

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