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Author Archives: sarazaske
Keep Idaho kids free
A “Free-Range Kids” bill is up for debate in the Idaho legislature that will help ensure that kids can walk to school by themselves, ride their bikes and meet friends at the park without their parents getting investigated for neglect. Continue reading
Bored kids during COVID-19 isolation
We are fortunate that our biggest problem right now is boredom. We are healthy and safe. We just have to get through this period of isolation with our relationships, and our sanity, intact. I recently had the opportunity to interview … Continue reading
What I learned in Minnesota
When I was invited to visit the Twin Cities, I expected to share what I know about raising self-reliant children, but I also walked away inspired by the people and places I encountered there. Here are some of the things … Continue reading
Posted in Achtung Baby, education, parenting
Tagged free kids, Germany, immersion school, playgrounds, self-reliant
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Achtung Baby in the Twin Cities 1/29
I’m headed out soon to lovely St. Paul, MN. Come join me to talk about raising self-reliant kids! Wednesday, January 29, 7-9 p.m. O’Shaughnessy Educational Center Cleveland Avenue North Saint Paul, MN 55105 More info – visit the St. Paul … Continue reading
Posted in Achtung Baby, Germany, parenting
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I Hate Football. I Let my Daughter Play It Anyway.
My latest essay in the New York Times is a little controversial. I don’t expect everyone to agree with the decision to let our 13-year-old daughter play football. But at its heart, this is a story about letting a … Continue reading
Posted in parenting
Tagged football, girlsfootball, independence, kids, resilience, self-reliance
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What parents can learn from the Westboro Baptist Church
Some thoughts on the value of obedience: I expected Unfollow, Megan Phelps-Roper’s memoir about leaving the extremist Westboro Baptist Church, to be a book of hope, an argument for the power of free speech, and in some ways it is. … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion, Book Review, Commentary, parenting
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Outdoor preschools catch on in U.S.
Some good news in American education! Washington recently became the first state to license outdoor preschools. These are preschools where kids play and learn in nature all day. The very fact that kids aren’t sitting a tables being drilled on reading … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion, education, parenting, science
Tagged children, education, forest, kindergarten, nature, outdoors, play, preschool
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Online preschool: another bad education idea that is so American
We want our kids to be competitive in America, and to do that we keep turning to technology. It was one of the biggest differences I noticed between American and German education systems. Despite persistent budget problems and the constant … Continue reading
Posted in Achtung Baby, and my super opinion, parenting
Tagged education, online preschool, play
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Do Parents Matter? Recommended reading for raising free kids
Fair warning: this book may shake any strong convictions you have about the right way to parent. The LeVines have studied parenting practices in cultures all over the world. One of my favorite examples is the Nso people of Cameroon … Continue reading
Posted in Achtung Baby, Book Review, parenting
Tagged children, cultural differences, freekids, helicopter parenting, parenting
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Sara Zaske 
“What is the scariest thing your kids have ever done?”
This was one of the best questions I was asked when I visited St. Paul recently to give a talk on raising self-reliant kids. And it was from a kid in the audience. Earlier in the day I visited the … Continue reading →