Early Childhood Practice

Froebel today

There can be little doubt that the education of the very young provides an essential foundation for all that follows, and the nature of that education is critical. This book locates Froebelian practice in current practice, through a wealth of examples from contemporary settings.

The book brings together contributions from distinguished primary and early childhood practitioners, who show how they have used educational methods advocated by Froebel. Stressing the importance of outdoor play, they explore the Froebelian principles of:

• Play
• Learning through firsthand experience
• Parent partnership and community in early childhood
• Practitioners supporting children's interests and learning
• Finger rhymes and action songs
• Movement
• The garden and forests
• Wooden blockplay
• Use of clay, paint, junk modeling, construction kits

The book locates the Froebel approach and its emphasis on the learning and applying of knowledge and understanding that become possible through play. It contrasts the Froebel approach with methods such as Montessori, Steiner and very recent approaches to play such as post-Modern 'playfulness'. This book is relevant to undergraduate and postgraduate students of Early Childhood Education.