Nienhuis
When Maria Montessori gave a training course in Amsterdam, she gave a lot of advice on how the materials should be produced and gave a special contract to a company that a certain Albert Nienhuis joined around 1926. Experienced in the manufacture of small wooden objects, he was asked to help with the production of Montessori materials. He first created the abacus, then the Geometry Cabinet, and moved on to more complex materials such as the 1000 cube.
As the company grew, so did her two sons. In 1929, Maria Montessori herself took the initiative of creating the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), wishing to have the full support of a strong, dynamic company that could respond to the growing interest in Montessori education worldwide; an organization that was perfectly placed to foster a complete understanding of her ideas, coordinate the publication of her writings and the manufacture of carefully designed materials.
Today, and after many decades, Nienhuis continues its tradition of high quality craftsmanship and total support for this pedagogy, with a unique heritage. Over the years, AMI and Nienhuis, who have almost the same "birth date", have grown up together and become household names in the Montessori world, working closely together for Montessori education and children worldwide.
GAM
The Marquise Maria Maraini Guerrieri Gonzaga, was one of the first to share and support Maria Montessori's discoveries, welcoming her several times to Gonzaga.
Founded in Italy in 1911, Gonzagarredi, now renamed GAM, worked with Maria Montessori from an early stage, commissioning her first teaching materials from the Bassoli di Gonzaga carpentry workshop. One of the youngest employees, Cesare Baroni, worked personally with Maria Montessori. He co-founded the "Baroni e Marangon" company, which became the "Gonzagarredi" cooperative in 1975.
GAM has developed its own manufacturing techniques and solutions to ensure that its furniture is solid, functional, lightweight, durable and colorful.
It's the furniture that adapts to the child, not the other way around: that's how the Casa dei bambini (Children's House) is built!
EDUCO
EDUCO wants its educational games, made from sustainable materials, to inspire thought and ask questions.
So that children can combine hands-on experience with learning, and also stimulate their creativity and imagination!
On the planet, on inclusion, on ecology, on our future and on climate change... great themes to think about from an early age!
These are often based on well-known Montessori principles: a clear pedagogical goal, error control, no unnecessary help...
EDUCO provides the tools and toys to get involved early, in a fun and natural way.
Toys For Life
Originally a spin-off from Educo, Toys For Life was born out of a strong interest in educational products for the home education sector.
As a result, they have developed a new range of materials that can be divided into 3 areas: Mathematics, Language and Motor Development.
The design and color of the box indicate whether the materials belong to the Mathematics (orange), Language (blue) or Motor Development (green) areas. A manual is included with all products, showing how to play the game, giving clear learning objectives and providing additional play suggestions.
Heutink International is today delighted to announce Toys for Life: a new home education line from Educo.
