Achtung Baby: An American Mom On The German Art Of Raising Self-Reliant Children

"Sara Zaske is an American mom who spent several years raising her kids in Germany. She explains, with incredulity, that German kids walk to school alone in the first grade – and explains why she eventually let her kids do the same. She describes kindergarten classes where children learn to play safely with matches and a week when toys are removed from the class so kids are forced to use their imaginations. Zaske describes German childhoods as freewheeling and playful, in stark contrast to American kindergartens, where so much emphasis is placed on safety and academic achievements."