Think back to the days when nap time was practically torture and basic arithmetic was the only thing stressing you out… Ah kindergarten, you can almost smell the fresh paste and finger paint just thinking of the better days; to be a kid again.

Today, April 21^st in kindergarten day to commemorate the birthday of Friedrich Fr, who developed the first kindergarten in 1837 in Germany. Although kindergarten was quite popular in Germany, the Prussian government outlawed the school in 1851, the same year Fr passed away.

By 1860 the Prussians allowed the schools to continue and in 1873 the first public kindergarten opened in the United States in St. Louis.

Fr wanted to create as social experience for children transitioning from home life to school and believed that children should be taken care of and nourished in “children’s gardens” like plants.

Kindergartner Hayden Drost said, “I like kindergarten because there is a lot of learning here and I like Mrs. Hoffer because she’s very nice.”