Catalog Nienhuis 2023

On The Connections With Maria Montessori And AMI

Nienhuis – Now And Then After the establishment of the first Casa dei Bambini in Rome, 1907, the news of the miracle children was quick to spread to Italy’s neighboring countries and the rest of world. Interest in this new form of education spread to The Netherlands, and a few Dutch early childhood educators set off for Rome to study at the international teacher training courses that Maria Montessori started in 1913. In 1914, the first group of Dutch children gathered in the home of Mrs. J.J. Werker in The Hague, who had set up a small Montessori ‘Casa dei Bambini’. Soon afterwards, few other schools opened their doors in other parts of the country. With Montessori education increasingly finding groups of parents interested to have their children enjoy this new type of education, it was desirable to pool resources and knowledge, and coordinate the necessary lobbying with educational authorities. These considerations led, in 1917, to the foundation of an official Dutch Montessori Society, to become a resource for Dutch Montessorians and to liaise with Maria Montessori. As ever, the demand for and availability of good quality materials made in accordance with the scientific specifications required by Maria Montessori was a prime concern; a special materials committee took it upon itself to have the Montessori materials made in country, as it was not always easy to import the materials from England or Italy. The Dutch Society established a Leermiddelenhuis (didactic apparatus center), which by 1922 was fully operational. In 1923, when Maria Montessori gave a teacher training course in Amsterdam she gave extensive feedback on how the materials had been produced, and she discussed alternative colors for certain materials. In 1922, the Leermiddelenhuis was granted a special contract by Maria Montessori allowing them to produce materials ‘with a blessing’ - a contract which was renewed ten years later. Around 1926 a carpenter named Albert Nienhuis joined the Leermiddelen company. He was experienced in making small wooden objects, and was asked to assist with the Montessori materials. He first created the abacus, then The Geometric Cabinet and progressed on to more intricate materials such as the 1000 cube. As business grew, Mr Nienhuis’ two sons also joined the company. In 1929, Maria Montessori herself took the initiative to create the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). She wished to have the full support of a strong and dynamic organization that could respond to the growing interest in Montessori education worldwide; an organization that was excellently positioned to further a full understanding of her ideas, to coordinate the publication of her writings, and license the manufacture of the carefully crafted developmental materials.

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