Lifelong kindergarten: the past and present of friedrich fröbel's teaching philosophy in cultivating creativity

Abstract

The title is borrowed from a book written by Mitchel Resnick (1956) who is the Director of the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. His position already suggests that the kindergarten is way more than a day-care institution where children may spend time in a safe and loving environment. This paper seeks to explore the main motives that led Friedrich Fröbel (1782-1852) to the establishment of his series of experimental pre-schools from the early 19th century onward, that distinguished them from the already existing similar social institutions. It will be shown that despite the challenges the kindergarten and their founders themselves have been witnessing since the very beginnings, the firm foundations of its philosophy allow it to survive and to revive itself and become a major component in any progressive-creative endeavour. The author of the present paper brings examples for the manifestations of the Fröbelian pedagogy both in the work of modern artists and architects, and its multi-layered connection to the Bauhaus school. The main focus is to provide an overview of the present creative enterprises that draw heavily on the kindergarten philosophy – Professor Resnick’s research group and how they transformed it into a methodology that boosts (childhood) creativity in the 21st century.