Must Toys Be "Educational"? "I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." —Albert Einstein Many of us have seen a young child more interested in the wrapping paper than the gift; or watched as a child played with just a string and a popsicle stick or a large empty box. Maria Montessori observed the same phenomenon at her first job as a doctor in an Italian asylum; the children had no toys, so they played with the crumbs under the dinner table. Today stores are filled with toys to attract the eye of children and adults alike. Many promise pa...