A toddler stirring an empty bowl at a play kitchen may appear to be pretending. In reality, the child is remembering, imitating, sequencing, experimenting with language, and rehearsing a meaningful role in family life. When that same child washes a strawberry, spreads cream cheese on a cracker, or wipes a spill, the learning becomes even more concrete. At Evviva Montessori, cooking and cleaning are not treated as activities that happen around children. They are opportunities

There is a particular kind of mystery familiar to almost every parent of a young child: the food that was beloved yesterday can become completely unacceptable today. For weeks, blueberries disappear by the handful, until one morning they are regarded with suspicion. The banana must suddenly be cut a certain way. Pasta that was happily eaten with sauce is now acceptable only when plain. A strawberry may be picked up, examined, smelled, squeezed, perhaps touched briefly to the