Speaking before an audience of television reviewers, producer Tom Forman acknowledged that "Kid Nation" would inevitably share some elements with William Golding's novel "Lord of the Flies", which depicted planewrecked children without adult supervision. Adults were present off-camera during production, including cameramen, producers, a medic, and a child psychologist, although all interacted with the children as little as possible. Participants also missed a month of school, but Forman suggested that such real-world tasks as preparing a group breakfast, doing physical chores like fetching water, and making group decisions constituted an educational experience in its own right. Forman said that all participants were cleared by a team of psychologists and any child could choose to go home during any of the periodical town meetings, which three did.