Professor Tina Bruce CBE is a Vice President of BAECE: Early Education, Patron of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), Member of the International Froebel Society Committee, Associate Member of the Froebel Trust, and Member of the Froebel Network. She is a well-known author internationally and nationally of books and articles on Early Childhood Education.

• Introduction1. Life and Historic Context of Froebel2. The Whole Child and the Concept of Unity3. The Importance of Nature4. Play5. Finger Plays, Mother Songs and Movement Games6. Self-activity of the Child7. The Importance of Observation 8. The Importance of Family and Community: Highly trained, Mature and Educated TeachersConclusion: Summary of Key ElementsBibliographyDefinitions of Key Froebelian TermsIndex

Tina Bruce writes for everyone who cares to nurture and understand young children’s thirst for learning. This book is a superbly comprehensive and persuasive account of how the life and ideas of an educationalist working in the 19th century connect to contemporary early childhood education in diverse cultures and contexts.