The First Kindergarten
Froebel-Parker continues a centuries-long tradition of Froebel nephewsand nieces who have dedicated themselves to their uncle's philosophy andapproach to education. The author's grandparents, great grandmother andgreat aunts bequeathed him with the legacy of a vivid oral tradition aboutFriedrich and his entire extended family. The Froebels had lived since the15th century in the Frankish-Thuringian Holy Roman Empire Principality ofSchwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Their deep origins were in the area of the ancientNetherlands, as family memoirs indicate. Froebel-Parker began visiting Froebelsites in Thuringia during the years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR/DDR). These connections and friendships continue and are influences in hisaccount of the founding of the First Kindergarten.