Unfortunately there are but few pictures of Froebel’s own Kindergarten, but there seems to have been little formality in its earliest development.  An oft-told story is that of Madame von Marenholz in 1847 going to watch the proceedings of “an old fool,” as the villagers called him, who played games with the village children.  A less well-known account is given by Col. von Arnswald, again a Keilhau boy, who visited Blankenberg in 1839, when Froebel had just opened his first Kindergarten.

“Arriving at the place, I found my Middendorf[3] seated by the pump in the market-place, surrounded by a crowd of little children.  Going near them I saw that he was engaged in mending the jacket of a boy.  By his side sat a little girl busy with thread and needle upon another piece of clothing; one boy had his feet in a bucket of water washing them carefully; other girls and boys were standing round attentively looking upon the strange pictures of real life before them, and waiting for something to turn up to interest them personally.  Our meeting was of the most cordial kind, but Middendorf did not interrupt the business in which he was engaged.  ‘Come, children,’ he cried, ’let us go into the garden!’ and with loud cries of joy the little folk with willing feet followed the splendid-looking, tall man, running all round him.

[Footnote 3:  One of Froebel’s most devoted helpers.]

“The garden was not a garden, however, but a barn, with a small room and an entrance hall.  In the entrance Middendorf welcomed the children and played a round game with them, ending with the flight of the little ones into the room, where each of them sat down in his place on the bench and took his box of building blocks.  For half an hour they were all busy with their blocks, and then came ’Come, children, let us play “spring and spring."’ And when the game was finished they went away full of joy and life, every one giving his little hand for a grateful good-bye.”

Here in this earliest of Free Kindergartens are certain essentials.  Washing and mending, the alternation of constructive play with active exercise, rhythmic game and song, and last but not least human kindliness and courtesy.  The shelter was but a barn, but there are things more important than premises.

Froebel died too soon to see his ideals realised, but he had sown the seed in the heart of at least one woman with brain to grasp and will to execute.  As early as 1873 the Froebelians had established something more than the equivalent of the Montessori Children’s Houses under the name of Free Kindergartens or People’s Kindergartens.  It will bring this out more clearly if, without referring here to any modern experiments in America, in England and Scotland, or in the Dominions, we quote the description of an actual People’s Kindergarten or Nursery School as it was established nearly fifty years ago.

The moving spirit of this institution was Henrietta Schroder, Froebel’s own grand-niece, trained by him, and of whom he said that she, more than any other, had most truly understood his views.