SKIRMISHER

Take a bunch of kids, herd them to a New Mexico ghost town, cross your fingers and wait for the critters to form a society. This is basically the gist of CBS’s new reality show called Kid Nation.

As for “Kid Nation,” skein will follow 40 kids for 40 days, observing them as they attempt to build a new society from scratch.

Rather than surviving on an island, the kiddies relocated to Bonanza City, N.M., a ghost town abandoned more than a century ago. Prodigal children live without parental supervision and modern comforts.

Goal for the kids is to build a functional society. They have to pass laws, choose leaders and build an economy. People familiar with the project said the kids may also be given choices between things they need (food and supplies) and things they want (think Nintendo Wii).

Unlike most reality shows, there will be no mandated eliminations. Kids can go home when they want to.

Rather than weekly exits, each seg will end with a feel-good moment in which one kid is selected by his peers to earn a major reward.

We can’t wait till one of them sharpens a stick or turns out to be a precocious sadomasochist, forcing CBS to hastily adopt the new slogan “Bloodshed! Gratuitous sex! Kids!” This will be a huge hit.

Stumble it!