3V1188.02 You can spell everything, not merely “French” (4/24/81) Peggy is apparently coming to realize that all words can be spelled (not merely “French”). The cause of this conjecture I can’t document, but she sat in my lap this afternoon and asked me to spell word after word…. words with no apparent connection, ending up …
3V1185.01 Computer at home: TI-99 (4/21/81) I finally brought home a TI-99 from the Logo lab. The machine’s storage extension is very flakey and the tape recorder would not work well for the first week or so. Consequently it was hard to program little systems for Peggy. We began using the computer in experiments with …
3V1184.01 Blocks microworld: Moving Blocks (4/20/81) Peggy has experienced a number of insights in her developing control of the little blocks microworld. The record of her discovery of “BK” is in P169. This is a significant and meaningful operation for her when the block has a forward velocity. In the case “BK” interrupts the velocity …
3V1181.02 Anything can represent anything: Forks and Bottlecaps (4/17/81) Anything can represent anything. Sitting in the chair beside [me] at the end of supper this evening, Peggy began playing with a dinner fork and a cake fork (the smaller of the two). They became me and her, going for a ride in the car. The …
3V1171.02 Letter roller: compared to Rubic’s cube (4/7/81) Peggy has played with Rubic’s cube for several weeks, first destroying the complete pattern by a single or double twist, then “fixing” the cube by reversing the operation — uniformly with great pride and delight. We, of course, applauded her efforts. This was not at all surprising …
3V1150.01 A Tricycle at last: lost observation opportunity (3/17/81) I wanted to buy one for Peggy’s third birthday but (even on sale) the prices were too high and the quality of the bikes too low for purchase. Today — some eight weeks later — I saw an ad selling a tricycle for 10 dollars. We …
3V1149.01 Drawing on Peggy: drawing on her arms and more (3/16/81) When she asked me to draw on her hand this evening, I made a little heart that said, “Dad” (she asked on my beginning with “D” if it said “Daddy”) and “Peg” which she figured was “Peggy”). Upon presentation of the other hand, I …
3V1146.02 Dancing and whooping: a new script for animal play (3/13/81) Last night after supper, Peggy brought her collection of toys. Our new Chieftains record was playing, so when Peggy (as BearHug) asked me (as Pink Panther) ‘What do you want to do now ?’ I answered, ‘I want to dance’ and began bouncing the …
3V1146.01 Dead flowers: [They been shot.] (3/13/81) A warm day, the family outside working in the garden. Peggy picked up some dried flowers, brought them inside and asked me to put them in a vase. I refused to do so, avoiding a confrontation by evading her request. Outside later, Peggy again mentioned her flowers. I …
3V1141.01 French: [I can speak French – “Cat twank” ] (3/8/81) I asked Miriam how her French is coming. She replied, ‘Comment allez-vous ?’ ‘Tres bien, merci, et vous ?’ I answered. Miriam could not continue. We mentioned ‘French’ several times during the conversation. Peggy, who had been sitting there piped up, ‘I can speak …
3V1140.01 Letter names as entities separated from signifiers of people (3/7/81) Peggy brought me the ‘F’ from her set of letters. She asked if it were the letter ‘A’. When I said ‘No,’ she next guessed the letter name ‘E’ (She knows this, of course, is the ‘father letter.’) I told her it was the …
3V1139.01 Advance in articulation: [Which hands is it now ?] (3/6/81) Peggy came running up to me and asked me ‘Which hand is it in now ?’ She continued immediately, ‘This one ?’ (Pointing to her right hand with her left). This question and gestures is a significant advance over that of 3/3/81 because she …
3V113601 Imperfectly articulated script: [Which hand ? This one ?] (3/3/81) ‘Which hand ?’ This question is one Peggy meets when she asks Robby or Miriam for something she knows they have (usually candy). Today, she came running up to my chair at the table and asked, ‘Which hand is the Rubic’s cube in ? …
3V113501 The Animal Game (3/2/81) Peggy has extended her animal game to others… Miriam specifically. I have heard Peggy asking her to play as they sat on the floor near the stove and then the perennial question, ‘What do you want to do now ?’
3V113301 A Gymnastic Show (2/28(81) Miriam went on-stage with the other tumbling kids of the Dutch Gymnastics School. The show began with ‘The Little Rascals’ — the youngest class — marching around and exercising in time (more or less) to directive songs. Peggy found that worth watching, but when they finished she said, ‘I think …
3V112201 Same vs. Different: different animals, same activities (2/17/81) Peggy sat in my lap, playing her animal game (see examples in videotape, e.g. P162). I tired of it and she volunteered, ‘I know…let’s play a different game.’ I agreed enthusiastically, so she got from her toy box two different animals, sat in my lap and …
3V112002 Squirting (skunks; rabbits squirt with their ears.) (2/15/81) Peggy has a skunk… it attacks other animals by SQUIRTING them with its tail. (Does this show the influences of Robby, Miriam ?) Squirting is NOT limited to the skunk. Most other animals also squirt from tails. An exception is the rabbit. It has a button …
3V1120.01 Peggy’s invented games: extensive notes on animal play (2/15/81) For the past week or more, Peggy and I have played together in a way that appears very important to her. that is, she is really hurt if I am unwilling to play. Last night she was unwilling to stop — without tears — only …
3V1109.02 Trip to Logo: typical stories (2/14-15/81) Peggy, Robby and I went to MIT after story hour. Danny Moore came to the lab late in the afternoon and I tended Peggy while Robby played with him. What I recall of this time is that Peggy and I went to DSRE for my Spencer Foundation letter, …
3V1109.01 Peer avoidance at story hour (2/4/81) The story hour began later than Crafts. I took Peggy to the first session, since we were departing from there directly to Boston. We arrived late and Peggy was unwilling to join the other children. So I sat on the floor near them while Debbie Rutter told stories, …
3V1105.04 Generalized arguments to avoid rejection: [some little kids like candy.] (late January 1981) For some months now, Peggy has shown a semantically unusual usage. She typically uses “somebody”, “some kids”, “some people” as ways of indirectly expressing her feelings — especially in situations where she may be unsure that a request for something will …
3V1105.03 Meta-cognitive observations: [I think my jokes are funny.] (late January) We were driving east on route 1, near Moose Hill Manor. Seeing the ponies of the Diamond M Ranch, Peggy remarked, ‘I want to ride one of those every day.’ I turned to her with shocked surprise, ‘Every day?’ Peggy smiled, ‘I think my …
3V1105.01 [I think the Rubic’s cube is Mimi’s, but I’m not sure.] (1/31/81) no text beyond title.
3V1104.01 “Gepeters” [computers]: incremental lexicon standardization (1/30/81) Peggy wants to go to Logo (whatever that means to her) and also asked if she ‘could play with the gepeters at Logo.’ Later, her use slipped into the standard form by first appearing a ‘geputers’ then as ‘computers.’
3V1103.01 Peer interactions (1/29/81) When Peggy was too late to b e enrolled in the North Guilford Nursery School, Gretchen enrolled her in two pre-school library activities. I took Peggy down to the second crafts session, and Miriam asked if she could come. Peggy had a good time at the library but with respect to …
3V1102.01 Playing with toys: using animals as manipulatable actors (1/28(81) Recently Peggy has frequently climbed on my lap after dinner, bringing a small collection of animal toys with her. Frequently the horses (Calico and Blue Mane) and Gretchen’s old rabbit and mouse are the main actors. Peggy takes one animal and gives me another, e.g., …