Developed in the early 1800s by early childhood education pioneer Friedrich Fröebel, the Fröebel Gifts (“gabe” in German) are a series of simple toys and exercises which focus on geometric forms, colours and creativity.  Gift J1 consists of chunky wooden beads in four shapes (spheres, cubes, cylinders, and triangular prisms) and a variety of colours.  The beads can be strung together using the included length of cord, or for sorting and counting exercises. The set is contained in a slide-top box measuring 26 cm x 16 cm (about 10" x 6").