Karl Christian Friedrich Krause

How Froebel developed his kindergarten interests me, as it may others in this time in which the original purpose of it has been forgotten and ignored. Froebel was introduced to the writings of Comenius by the German philosopher Karl Christian Friedrich Krause whom he and a friend, Middendorf had made a point of visiting in 1828. As described by H. Courthope Bowen in his biography of Froebel:

Krause, who was well read in the works of Comenius, drew Froebel's attention to the noble old bishop's treatise on the earliest education of children, Schola Materni Gremii; and thus probably aided in turning Froebel's mind to the field in which he was to win his greatest triumphs.

You can find the seeds of Kindergarten in these words from Comenius' School of Infancy:

“Whoever has within his house youth exercising themselves in piety, morality, and knowledge, possesses a garden in which celestial plantlets are sown, watered, bloom, and flourish; a studio, as it were, of the Holy Spirit in which he elaborates and polishes these vessels of mercy, these instruments of glory, so that in them, as living images of God, the rays of his eternal and infinite power, wisdom, and bounty may shine more and more. How inexpressibly blessed are such parents!”

Philosopher Krause was pantheistic, having witnessed the wonders and presence of God in all things. Froebel, too, was accused of being pantheistic and though he rejected the label, seemed to have found God in all things, most particularly in the nature and in the activities of children.

Pantheism was regarded as an assault to the authority of the church and to the authority of the bible in Germany of Froebel's time.

In the wood shop I've been sanding necks for box guitars, and as you can see, I've made many of them. I started with 80 grit and will work my way, grit by grit to 320. Sanding is one of those wood shop tasks that some try to avoid or mechanize so it can be done as quickly as possible. But moving through the right sequence of grits will make the task more pleasurable and easier, too. My next steps when the sanding is complete, will be to square the ends of the necks so they can be attached to the bodies of the guitars.

Today in the Clear Spring School wood shop, students will be finishing their box guitars and birdhouses.

Make, fix, create, and extend to others the love of learning likewise.