Writing
Phoebe is asleep upstairs. She is five years and one month old. All Sheffield schools are currently on their half term holidays. Late this afternoon, she showed keen interest in what Grandma was doing on her laptop. In her capacity as secretary of the local Women's Institute, Grandma was writing up some minutes. Phoebe began to help and under close supervision did a line or two of typing. I invited her into the study to practise her growing writing skills on my desktop computer. I brought up a fresh "Word" page and we agreed that she would make a short Christmas wishlist. Though I guided her closely, I did not actually touch the keyboard. It was all her own work. This was the very first piece of writing that she has ever done with the aid of a computer keyboard. When it was done, I turned our printer on and explained to her what she needed to do to create a print off of her work. Very soon the page was churned out and I showed it to her. With wide eyes, she a...