Four Garden Squares

I have two grandsons who will start kindergarten in about four months. I remember kindergarten as a happy time, and I’m excited for both of them. Have you ever wondered how such an obviously German word found its way into the English language? (I should probably point out that no one in the UK goes to kindergarten. There, it’s called “nursery.”) It all started with a German pedagogue named Friedrich Fröbel (April 21, 1782-June 21, 1852). Fröbel recognized that young children are unique individuals with enormous potential for learning and development. He created the first kindergarten (child’s garden) in 1840, because he believed that children should be cultivated and nurtured “like plants in a garden.” His institution and those that followed prepared young children for traditional school using games, songs, social interaction and practical activities like finger painting, building blocks and modeling clay.