The book ‘Kindergarten’ is the result of the pedagogical efforts of Adelaida Simonovitch, the organizer of the first Russian kindergarten. The basis of the book was formed with materials from the Simonovich Magazine, which was published in the 1860s, aimed at use in kindergartens. The publication is composed of tables – appealing tools for a broad range of activities with children -- and detailed methodological benefits with instructions about their applications.

In the prologue, the author expresses the deep conviction that at the beginning of the 20th century, Russia will inevitably take a new path towards radical changes in the education system of children: closed-circle homeschooling will be replaced with public system of kindergartens accessible to everyone. This will give new opportunities to women, freeing them of housework and providing more opportunities for education, work and self-realization, as well as active economic and social charity. Indeed, in 1878 the famous ‘Bestuzhev Higher Education Courses for Women’ opened, while women’s grammar schools existed since the beginning of the XX century.

Adelaida Semyonovna Simonovitch was born in Moscow in 1844. She received her education at the time when it was still quite a challenge for women to do so. Women’s grammar schools did not exist yet, and Russian universities were completely off limits to women. Adelaida Semyonovna finished five grades, and then continued to self-teach and passed a home teacher exam. This doesn’t seem enough to her, and she tried receiving permission to attend lectures at Moscow University. Adelaida’s aspirations were crushed, and she moved to Switzerland with her husband. Here she became familiar with the preschool education system of Friedrich Fröbel.

The Simonovitch family had six children. In addition to her own, Adelaida Semyonovna also raised her nephew, who grew up to be the famous artist Valentin Serov, and also directed a small private school.

Valentin Serov very often visited the family of his favorite aunt, Adelaida Semyonova Simonovitch. At one time he even lived at the Simonovitch residence. A pupil of the family, Olga Trubnikova, became the wife of the artist.

He drew portraits of all of the Simonovitch children. The most famous portrait is that of Maria Simonovitch.

In 1866. Adelaida Simonovich, together with her husband, opened the first kindergarten in St. Petersburg, which become a novel pedagogical laboratory. The husband and wife duo accepted children aged three to eight. With time, Simonovich became disenchanted with Fröbel’s preschool system and considerably widened the circle of games and activities for children. 

Adelaida Simonovitch was the first kindergarten teacher in Russia – as she named herself officially, a “Sadovnitsa.” Working in the kindergarten, Simonovitch released the magazine “Detskiy Sahd” (kindergarten), in which she analyzed the practical experience of kindergarten teachers. Simonovitch was a dreamer, and in the program of her kindergarten were included games she invented, design and construction tasks and even Chinese shadow theatre.

The first magazine issues of “Detskiy Sahd” were obliged to use German tables and drawings for activities. In this issue, the illustrations were made by her children and other relatives, mainly the drawings of Nina Simonovich-Efimova, a future artist and organizers of a children’s puppet theatre in Russia (Petrushka Theatre) and her husband, the sculptor Ivan Efimov – together, they founded the first Soviet puppet theatre in 1918.