Friedrich Fröbel

You may be wondering who Friedrich Fröbel is. I know that when I first heard his name, the only thoughts I had about him was that he had kind of a funny name, but I didn't know much about him otherwise. I chose him solely because I didn't know anything about him, so naturally I did some research. Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel was a student of Pestalozzi, who laid the basic foundation and setting for modern education, based mostly on the idea that children have unique needs and capabilities, and should be individually taken care of in school. Fröbel, or Froebel, invented the idea of "kindergarten" which is now a term used in English and German languages. More importantly, he created the idea of educational toys to help students better learn, known as Froebel Gifts.

Froebel believed that humans are able to be creative and productive on their own, and fulfillment comes by developing these things in harmony with not only the world but with God as well. "Froebel sought to encourage the creation of educational environments that involved practical work and the direct use of materials. Through engaging with the world, understanding unfolds." That is why he incorporated the idea of play and "gifts," because it is a creative activity and children are able to be more aware of their role and place in the world. He developed toys or "special materials" used to help teach, such as balls or wooden bricks, which he called gifts. He also developed a series of "occupations" which were recommended activities, and movement activities, which linked a set of theories. Froebel wanted to teach young children lessons by using educational games, and later became associated with a demand from the "provision of special centers for the care and development of children outside the home."

"The purpose of education is to encourage and guide man as a conscious, thinking and perceiving being in such a way that he becomes a pure and perfect representation of that divine inner law through his own personal choice; education must show him the ways and meanings of attaining that goal." -Friedrich Fröbel

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-froeb.htm