Educational Experts


The design and creation process of the toys used in our centres and offered in our shop is inspired and carried forward by a team of expert educational advisors and product developers. These advisors support Piptree’s mission to deliver high quality educational services which will assist in developing children into life-long learners!
Prof. Hartmut Wedekind is an educational expert at Beleduc.
Wedekind's studies cover the following topics:
- Learning processes in Lernwerkstatt (learning workshops)
- Activities in Lernwerkstatt and their long-term effect on the change of learning processes in daily educational routines
- Scientific learning in the context of Lernwerkstatt activities
- Training of mathematical competencies during training of future Early Education teachers (project “KomMA”)
Wedekind's educational background includes:
- Prof. Dr. of Early Childhood Education at the ASH Berlin
- Scientific Director of the Learning and research Center for Children HELLEUM
Wedekind has many publications of which some are listed below:
- Learning workshops as a principle
- A Test Battery for the Assessment of Early Childhood Education Professionals' Knowledge
- The children's research centre Helleum - a learning workshop for science and technology education in early childhood
- Learners with AHA effect
- KomMA: Competency modeling and competence measurement in early childhood education in the field of mathematics
Dr. Petri Duijsters is an expert in education at Heutink International.
Duijsters studies are primarily focused upon:
- The importance of play based learning
- Creating a rich learning environment
- STEAM for young children
Her qualifications include:
- Master of Science in Education
- Expert in Early Childhood Education
- Education Expert - AS&E Psychologists, Bureau Ojemann and School Advisory Service De Zuid-Vallei
- Primary School Teacher
She has published many educational articles including:
- First Aid for Multiplication Tables
- 26 characters
- The added value of educational materials
Dr. Jef J van Kuyk is a Senior Consultant, Cito International Institute for Educational Evaluation.
Dr. Jef J van Kuyk's educational background includes:
- Father of Dutch Early Childhood Education
- Royal Dutch Educational supervision
- Officer in the order of Oranje Nassau
- Developer Pyramid Method for 0-7 Y
- Developer Cito monitoring system for 3-6 Y
- Developer Math boxes for 0-7 Y
His topics of interest include:
- Mathematics and Science(STEAM)
- The Pyramid method (educational method for children 0-7 Y)
- Developing educational materials for thinking and mathematics
Some of Dr. Jef J van Kuyk's publications are listed below:
- Post Modern and Effective: The Pyramid Program for Three-to-Six-Year-Olds.
- Scaffolding - How to Increase Development?
Karola Erlenbach is an educational expert and product developer at Beleduc.
Erlenbach's educational background includes:
- Major in early childhood education
- 0-7-Year-old Children's sports coach
- Educational adviser, product developer for Beleduc
Erlenbach's topics of interest include:
- Play based learning
- STEAM education
- Stages of development of children
- Gross motor skills and movement