Not everyone's mealtimes look like mine.
There will not necessarily be enough food tomorrow.
Food is not for play.
These are the lessons I learned from Ana*, and this is how she taught me:
Five-year-old Ana entered our classroom and went immediately to the large container of plastic snow play toys. She retrieved the dish-like items (recycled yogurt and applesauce containers) and meticulously placed them all in a neat row. Then Ana moved down the line of dishes carrying a much larger container and a makeshift ladle. She painstakingly scooped something invisible (to me) into each smaller container.