Today is National Kindergarten Day! Each year on April 21st, we honor Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel who is credited with starting the very first kindergarten (a mid-19th century German word meaning 'children's garden.') in Germany in 1837. Frobel recognized that children learn through play and experience.
The first kindergarten opened right here in Wisconsin in 1856! A kindergarten class was opened in Watertown that was a private German-language class, as were many in this region. It was not until 1873 that kindergarten became a part of any public school system.
So today we celebrate the wonderful world of Clayton's Kindergarten class! Please see an additional Facebook post for more pictures!