Learning through play informs the theoretical building blocks of art education, but teaching through play takes practice. This two-hour workshop leads participants through material exploration of the Froebel gifts—play sets designed by education reformist Friedrich Froebel alongside the invention of Kindergarten—and the occupations—art activities that extend foundational knowledge of art and design principles. 

Divided into two parts, the first half of the workshop invites participants to engage the block gifts, the foundational forms, as a way to (re)construct memories, ideas, and reflections of play. The second half employs the Froebelian occupation of paper-folding to explore the materiality of line, surface, and pattern. Participants will learn the Froebelian pinwheel fold, the starting point for endless variations, and contribute to the creation of a collaborative origami quilt.