8 and 19

Yesterday I made a box to hold gift number 19 which was the gift that launched Buckminster Fuller toward his career as the inventor of the geodesic dome.  I also remade gift number 8 to fit in a box, and colored the wooden pieces as long strips with non-toxic markers before cutting them to length. The masking tape is used to hold sticks in bundles for safe cutting.

When Kindergartens came to America, the blocks commonly used grew enormously in size,  with adults claiming that tiny hands could not handle such small parts. But where did they think dexterity might come from but through the manipulation of small parts?

When kindergartens grew in size to classes of 30 children or more, the tiny pieces involved in Froebel's gifts would have been a nightmare for teachers. How could they manage to help thirty small children get so many small pieces put back in the box? Larger blocks as used in preschool offer social opportunities that Froebel sized blocks do not. On the other hand, smaller classes might find value in both.

Today I am beginning to get ready for my trip to Marc Adams School of Woodworking where I'll spend 9 days in class. I'll begin packing books to sell and boxes to use as show and tell.

I am also working on a short essay on the impact of Froebel's Kindergarten, including the development of Educational Sloyd.

Make, fix, create, and extend to others an example of learning likewise.