21 April 24

This is National Kindergarten Day, honoring the birthday of Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel (1782-1852). He created the concept of the kindergarten and coined the word. He also developed the educational toys known as Froebel gifts. Friedrich Fröbel's great insight was to recognize the importance of the activity of the child in learning. He introduced the concept of "free work" (Freiarbeit) into pedagogy and established the "game" as the typical form that life took in childhood, and also the game's educational worth. Activities in the first kindergarten included singing, dancing, gardening, and self-directed play with the Froebel Gifts (geometric building blocks and pattern activity blocks). (Information from Wikipedia.) My tie is covered with alphabets and images of children drawing simple objects, like a necktie, a bus, a school and a dog. My own kindergarten fun began in September 1958 at Lincoln Elementary School in Bethlehem, PA, in the "new building," under the guidance of "Mrs. Deysher." The other kindergarten class across the hall was led by "Miss Andrews."