Froebel was very familiar with nature. He spent much of his early childhood in the garden, and later in his youth he learnt forestry.
His mother died before his first birthday, and his stepmother, once she had a baby of her own, sent him to the garden where he spent a lonely time. His father was a strict pastor, whose relationship with his son was distant and disciplinarian. Therefore Froebel did not experience the family warmth and affection that he yearned for and later made central in his approach to the education of babies and young children. Fortunately during middle childhood, Froebel’s uncle offered him a home where he felt loved and where his need to be with nature was encouraged.
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