Friedrich Froebel

Friedrich Froebel:

The Father of Kindergarten

Froebel's Infulence Today

Froebel's Philosophy

3 Principles

• All existence originates in and with God,

• Humans possess an inherent spiritual essence that is the vitalizing life force that causes development.

• All beings and ideas are interconnected parts of a grand ordered and systematic universe.

Froebel is an naturalist and idealist about education.

He believed that children should learn through play, his Gifts, and nature.

Creativity, self expression, and social participation were parts of his educational philosophy.

Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" House

Froebel died in 1852 in Schweina leaving a legacy for early childhood education today.

He is known as the "Father of Kindergarten."

He was a great influence to:

• Maria Montessori
• Margarethe Schurz (educator)
• Elizabeth Peabody
• Frank Lloyd Wright (architect)

Garden of Children

He developed Froebel Gifts, Froebelgaben,

such as wooden blocks and sticks,

that promoted free play and learning.

"For several years I sat at the little Kindergarten table-top . . . and played . . . with the cube, the sphere and the triangle—these smooth wooden maple blocks . . . All are in my fingers to this day . . ." -Frank Lloyd Wright

In 1836, Froebel established his first

kindergarten in Bad Blakenburg, Germany.

"Kindergarten" was the first educational environment for early childhood education.

Singing, dancing, gardening, and self-directed play was all part of his kindergarten curriculum.

Legacy Today

Outdoor play area in a

Froebel kindergarten.

Friedrich Froebel

Froebel is a major contributor of early childhood education with kindergartens all over the world modeled after his philosophy today.

Teacher training institutes and early childhood centers are named after him and continue to carry out his pedagogy are:

• Froebel College, England
• Fröbel e.V., Germany (runs 100 kindergartens)
• Friedrich Froebel Museum, Germany
• The Froebel Gifts, U.S.A (educational toys company)

Gardening in a Froebel

kindergarten.

Frobel's Early Career

Froebel worked in many different fields after his training. He moved back and forth between Germany and Switzerland.

He worked as a:

Author ("The Education of Man")

Farmer

Mineralogist

Head Teacher at an orphanage

Boarding school teacher

Architect

Private tutor

... Until 1836

Love of Nature

Froebel's Education

Pestalozzi's Inspiration

Froebel began to nurture his love for nature by apprenticing with a forester at the age of 15.

Soon after, he studied mathematics and botany at Jena University.

Unfortunately, he could not finish his studies and get a degree due to finances.

In 1802, he returned home and took care of his dying father instead.

In 1805, Froebel briefly studied architecture in Frankfurt.

He gained the discipline of art and symmetry, which then he later applied to the design of his kindergarten "gifts."

He worked as a teacher in a Pestalozzian school.

From 1808 to 1810, Froebel attended a training institute that was run by Johann Pestalozzi.

From his training, Froebel took away that children have the right to play.

During his studies at the training institute, Froebel wrote a letter to Pestalozzi, which then impressed him. Pestalozzi personally invited Froebel to visit his school, which influenced Froebel as an educator in Frankfurt.

Beginnings cont'd

Beginnings

Forest in Thuringia, Germany

Froebel's stepmother treated him very poorly and his childhood was full of sadness.

His stepmother once locked him in a cellar without food and forgot to let him out.

At the age of 10, Froebel was taken in by his affectionate and loving uncle, who had a big family in Stadtlim, Germany.

Friedrich Froebel was born on

April, 21 1782 in Oberweißbach, Thuringia, Germany.

He was the 5th child of 6 children.

His father was a Lutheran pastor, and his mother died when he was

9 months old.

Friedrich Froebel's Early Life