1 Froebel’s thoughts on young children and the outdoors
Figure 2 shows a key text written by Froebel; it is often called his seminal work, seminal meaning here influential, pioneering and important. The title The Education of Man translated from the original German in which it was written, may be confusing; if it was translated today, it might be more accurately translated as ‘Educating children’. This is not an easy text to read because Froebel does not necessarily explain his ideas in an accessible way; however, this fact has not diminished its importance. Furthermore, there is a wealth of much more accessible material written by important Froebelian scholars, such as Professor Tina Bruce, which has helped both practitioners and researchers engage more readily with his important ideas.