When kids go to school, it sounds normal to say that they are in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. grade. However, by the time the average student reaches 12th grade, they’ve been in school for 13 years. How is that normal? For me, it all started in the Garden of Children, 1972.
The Garden of Children got its start in 1840 in Blankenburg, Germany, led by Friedrich Froebel. He believed that “Children are like tiny flowers; they are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers…
“Froebel was an educator who believed in self-activity and hands-on learning for children. He also had a love for nature, science and mathematics. He felt children needed to be nurtured and caringly tended to like plants in a garden. Hence, he founded an early education program for young children… It was a place where children could develop and flourish freely through self- directed play under the guidance, not direction, of the teacher.
“Froebel’s [Garden of Children] was filled with objects for children to play with. He developed a set of gifts and occupations. These were designed to help children recognize and appreciate patterns in nature and introduce them to basic concepts of science, geometry and architecture. The occupations provided material such as clay, sand, paper and string to build skills such as sculpting, lacing, weaving and folding, and to stimulate imagination, creativity and ingenuity.”1
Germany wasn’t a fan of Froebel’s innovative concepts and discarded the Garden quickly. However, the United States latched on to the idea and has run with it ever since. In 1856, Watertown, Wisconsin, opened the first [Garden of Children] in the United States. Founded by Margarethe Schurz, this … was a German-language class, as were many in this region. [It] found its way into private English-speaking institutions across the country. However, it wasn’t until 1873 that it became part of any public school system.”2 Today, it’s hard to imagine any school without a Garden of Children.
The majority of those reading this today got their start in the Garden of Children. 
Scratching your head on this one, aren’t you? The Garden of Children is better known by the name conceived by Froebel.
Kindergarten.
From the German language, kinder means children and garten means garden. Hence, kindergarten – Garden of Children.
Did you enjoy kindergarten? Today is National Kindergarten Day. The day was chosen in honor of Froebel’s birthday. I loved kindergarten. Fingerpainting, playing with the big blocks and building forts, and sitting around the circle while a book was being read were some of the highlights that were fun for me. We also learned our alphabet and numbers.
There must be a beginning to our learning. That is elementary. All of our education had to have a start. The same is true spiritually. When we trusted Jesus as Savior, the Bible describes us as “newborn babes.” (1 Peter 2:2) This verse also tells us that we should “desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” As we learn the Bible and the foundational truths to our new walk with Christ, we could say that we are in God’s kindergarten. However, it was never intended that we stay there.
Hebrews 5:11-14 says, “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. (12) For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (13) For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. (14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Just like in school, we start by learning the fundamental principles. Then, we are expected to build upon those principles, adding deeper truths to our knowledge base and growing in 
wisdom as we learn how to apply that knowledge.
I ask each of us today, are you still in kindergarten or are you working your way up through the grades? Hebrews 6:1-3 says, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (3) And this will we do, if God permit.”
1https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/why-is-kindergarten-called-kindergarten
2https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-kindergarten-day-april-21
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