On playing vs. teaching learning, my thoughts (however unsolicated): playing is a child's work of recreating, understanding, and integrating their world. My son's play has never had the rich, creative expression that I experienced as a child, which disturbed me for quite some time. But I have come to believe that my son's "play" is within the language of concepts. Wondering about numbers, anatomy, geography, chemistry, etc. and activities associated with these provides him escape and a great sense of pleasure.