An appraisal of the Froebelian „Children‟s garden‟: the living connection in nature, play and learning

Abstract

Froebel had quite an unhappy and companionless childhood. He turned to Nature and found solitude in plants, flowers and trees. Beside plants, he delighted in children and engaged their company. He felt the only way he could live his life again was to penetrate into the lives of young children and influence them for good. His vision for early childhood education led to the conception of the kindergarten or „children‟s garden‟. Significantly, the idea of a garden has its underlying metaphysics. Froebel believed in Nature and oftentimes sought solace in and drew inspiration from Nature and the world of plants. In such an environment, the soul is freed from the oppression and contradictions of life. The choice of a „children‟s garden‟ as the ideal learning environment was therefore a deliberate attempt. This is taking into cognisance too, that the most viable method of instruction in the kindergarten is play. Froebel recognised that in play there is an overflow of naturality, and children tend to express the truths within them. In essence, when children are engaged in active play, they tend to freely express their ideas, creativity and feelings. This makes play to children, what work is to the adult. Thus when play is taken away from children, their soul and ability to learn independently are interrupted. This also brings to bear, the interconnectedness in Nature, play and learning. There is a likelihood of incompleteness in unity it is not achieved in play and learning. After all, all things in life rest on unity.

Key Words: Kindergarten, Children‘s garden, Nature.