Friedrich Froebel's educational theories have interested me for a long time. Froebel basically invented early childhood education as we know it, which he called the kindergarten. School started at 7 then, so the kindergarten was for children roughly from age 3-6. Steiner, Montessori, and pretty much anyone else who developed early childhood education philosophies were definitely inspired by him, though today few people know anything about him.
What really makes Froebel's ideas interesting to me were his development of 20 specific activities, which he called the gifts and occupations. They're really, really interesting and cool. I've been buying a lot of antique guides to using them, and it's all really interesting.
Anyway, all this is just a lead in to say that I got on a Froebel mailing list and they just sent me the schedule for their 2010 schedule. It's pricey, but I wanted to pass it along in case anyone is interested. I really, really wish I had a way to get there! They will have a special session on Froebel homeschooling.
http://www.froebelusa.com/index.php?...d=56&Itemid=53
(I wanted to add that I'm not affiliated at all with this: I'm just really enthusiastic. If anyone else here happens to be a Froebel junkie and ever wants to chat, I'd love to talk about it! I want to do a Froebel program with my kids when they're 5 or 6, in addition to a more structured curriculum.)
What really makes Froebel's ideas interesting to me were his development of 20 specific activities, which he called the gifts and occupations. They're really, really interesting and cool. I've been buying a lot of antique guides to using them, and it's all really interesting.
Anyway, all this is just a lead in to say that I got on a Froebel mailing list and they just sent me the schedule for their 2010 schedule. It's pricey, but I wanted to pass it along in case anyone is interested. I really, really wish I had a way to get there! They will have a special session on Froebel homeschooling.
http://www.froebelusa.com/index.php?...d=56&Itemid=53
(I wanted to add that I'm not affiliated at all with this: I'm just really enthusiastic. If anyone else here happens to be a Froebel junkie and ever wants to chat, I'd love to talk about it! I want to do a Froebel program with my kids when they're 5 or 6, in addition to a more structured curriculum.)
