The Froebel Education Centre

It does not take long for a visitor to The Froebel Education Centre to realize that there is something very special about this educational setting. The hearth and the fireplace are welcoming as you enter the lobby and it is quite likely that you will hear the sound of children's singing, floating out from the bright kindergarten room beyond. In the happy, attractive and orderly atmosphere you will observe through the arches small groups of children and their Kindergartners sitting at round tables eagerly playing with Froebel Gifts (toys). In the School some students may be engaged in written activities at their counter spots while others are at a round table reading and discussing with a teacher a Literature story. All the children are challenged by the new skills and ideas they are learning, ready for creative expression. One cannot help but be amazed at how purposefully engaged the children are in their activities and at the meaningful quality of the interaction between the teachers and the children. The philosopher and educator Friedrich Froebel is the originator of the first Kindergarten in Blankengerg, Germany in 1837. His ideas deeply influenced early childhood education throughout the world. The Kindergarten was to be a "garden of children" where each child is cultivated to achieve his or her full potential. His method of education in kindergarten was through the child's play. As the child matured, that same joyous spirit was present in all his work. Self discipline transforms creative play into creative work. The "3 R's", reading, writing and arithmetic themselves are on the surface of education. They are the tools of education allwoing the children to reach his or her full creative potential. "Play at this time is not trivial, it is highly serious and of deep significance. Cultivate and foster it...To the calm, keen vision of one who truly knows human nature, the spontaneous play of the child discloses the future inner life of the man." Friedrich Froebel