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Les Jardin's D'Enfants par La Baronne de M, 1858
 
'Les Jardin's D'Enfants: Nouvelle Methode d'Education et d'Instruction de Frederic Froebel' par La Baronne de M (probably Bertha von Marenholtz-Bulow) was published by Librairie de Ferdinand Claasen in Brussels and Ostend in 1858. It is an early Froebelian manual, without illustrations. It contains just one passage mentioning paperfolding.

Roughly translated this reads: 'In another cupboard we see collections of geometrical or fancy figures, made by folding a square piece of paper. It is a progressive series of one hundred and twenty pieces. Each form emerges from the previous one. The various folds children make prepare them for the study of geometry and the hand achieves amazing dexterity.'

Presumably this is a reference to Froebel's Schonheitsforman (Folds of Beauty).

However, there is also a wonderfully clear statement of the ethos of Froebelian education as not just doing useful things (see page 34 reproduced below).

A full copy of the work can be accessed here.

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