The bambini are doing exactly the kind of thing that I've been hoping to see, especially given my reading lately, For the Children's Sake on the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason. She talks about the importance of children having many free, unscheduled hours for pretend play. There are probably 5 or 6 bath towels and other props being used and dirtied right now, but I don't care (much) because they have created a house or camp of sorts beneath a group of three tall pines in the side yard - just the sort of thing I used to do as a kid, in the boxwood bushes. That was before my siblings and I realized how many scary spiders were most likely lurking in there. Chiara just asked for hair bandana for her head and a hamburger bun from a bag she saw I had out on the kitchen table for tonight's dinner - veggie burgers that have been in the freezer for a long time and salad or mixed veg. Maybe that 1/2 a burger bun will make for a fun camping dinner over a pretend fire....