How did Rosa and Carolina Agazzi develop the Italian scuola materna?

In 1892, sisters Rosa and Carolina Agazzi developed the Italian scuola materna (maternal school) by synthesizing two existing educational approaches: the infant school model established by Ferrante Aporti and the kindergarten system created by Friedrich Froebel.1

Their pedagogical approach was characterized by the following elements:

• Integration of Materials: The Agazzis encouraged children to become active collaborators in their own education by seeking out and utilizing both realia (objects from everyday life) and Froebelian symbolic objects for examination.1
• Natural Impulses: Their method focused on nurturing and constructively exploiting a young child's natural impulses within a safe environment.1
• Prototypical Model: By blending these influences, they created a distinct Italian maternal school model that emphasized the child's role in discovering and organizing the instruments of their own learning.1

This approach provided a significant foundation for early childhood education in Italy, emphasizing a balance between structured symbolic play and the practical exploration of the real world.1