Michael Strong asks five-year-old Alana about her new computer and Christmas wishes, then gently explores what she knows about time: weeks have seven days, a year is longer than a month, but she's unsure about minutes and seconds. He uses questions to draw out her thinking rather than lecturing.
I understand you got a new computer?
Yes, I did.
Tell me about it.
I got it at Best Buy, and I didn't have the idea of it. My mom did.
Oh, how wonderful! Are you excited about it?
Yes, I did. Yes, I was.
Is this your first computer of your very own?
Um, no, this is my dad's computer.
Okay, but you are, you are getting your own computer?
I am.
That's exciting. Well, you are now definitely a big girl when you're having your own computer. I would say that makes you a pretty big girl.
Thank you.
Welcome, you're welcome. So I wanted to, I guess next week is Christmas, right?
Yep.
Do you like Christmas?
Yes, I do.
Why?
Because you get all the presents and Santa comes.
That sounds pretty exciting. Do you remember Christmas last year?
Um, no, I don't.
So how do you know what Christmas is if you don't remember it?
Because, like, it never snows here, so I know it's Christmas without it even snowing.
What tells you it's Christmas? What gives you that understanding?
That they wake me up in the morning and they tell me, I think.
You mean your parents will wake you up and tell you when it's Christmas?
Yeah.
Good for them, good for them. Do you know what day Christmas is going to be?
No.
So it could be— what if it's Christmas right now? Do you think it might be Christmas right now?
No.
Why not?
Because, like, we don't even know. Our parents didn't tell us. So you— surprise!
Okay, do you think it might be Christmas tomorrow?
No.
Why not?
Because I do not think it will be because like, I don't think it will because like, there'll be like no birds chirping in the Christmas, I think.
So when you wake up and you hear little birds chirping, then that day you'll know it's Christmas even before your parents tell you?
No.
So how do the birds chirping fit into all of this?
Um, excuse me?
Well, you told me that you would know it's Christmas when you hear little birds chirping, right?
Yeah, but actually I mean like when there are no birds chirping, I think.
So do you think that Christmas is going to be really soon or really long ways away, or what do you think?
Really long ways away.
Okay, so maybe next year?
Next year? Next week, not next year.
What's the difference between a week and a year?
Like the week is shorter, but the year is really long.
Do you know how many days are in a week?
Um, 7 days?
That's right. It sounds like you counted them. Is that right?
Yeah.
You know how many days are in a month?
I do not know.
Is there more days than a week or less? Is a month longer than a week or shorter than a week?
Longer than a week.
And you know if a month is longer than a year or is a year longer than a month?
A year is longer than a month.
Okay, so you think Christmas is next week, is that right?
Yes.
Could it be next month? Yeah, it might be next month.
Week. Uh, next— wait, excuse me.
Do you think Christmas might be next month rather than next week?
No, I don't.
Could it be 2 weeks from now or just 1 week?
Maybe just 1 week.
Okay. Well, can you wait a week for Christmas or do you wish it was sooner?
I can wait.
You can? Yeah. Okay. And has your little brother had a Christmas before?
Um, I don't know.
You don't know? This might be his first Christmas.
This might be his.
Did you get any presents last year for Christmas?
Um, I did.
You think you did? Do you remember any of the presents you got last year? You think you've got a dollhouse?
Yeah.
Do you still have it?
Um, no.
Oh, you like dollhouses?
Yes, I do.
Okay, and what do you want for Christmas for this year?
A watch.
A watch.
Cinderella dress.
A watch and a Cinderella dress. Does this watch match the Cinderella dress, or is the watch very different?
The watch is very different. I'm gonna like wear the watch like on different days.
I see. Is it a digital watch or one of with the round, with hands going around?
Um, what does a digital mean?
Oh, good question. That's a good question. A digital watch is where it's those little tiny numbers. You can see the numbers. You see a 1, you see a 2, you see a 3, you see a 4, that kind of thing. Whereas other watches have a hand that goes around like that. You know what I mean?
Yeah, I think it would be like a digital watch.
Okay, and why do you want a watch?
Because I want to learn how to tell time.
That's exciting. Can you tell time on a clock right now?
No.
Okay, do you know generally if it's morning or evening or what time of day it is roughly?
Well, I only know what day it is.
So right now, is it nighttime or is it morning or is it the middle of the day?
Morning.
How do you know?
Because I just woke up.
Okay. So do you know when it's evening? How do you know when it's evening?
When the sky is dark.
Okay, and how do you know when it's the middle of the day?
When it's lunchtime or snack time.
Okay, okay, good. So I wanted to just get a sense for how you understand time, and it sounds like— do you think the clock watch will help you understand time better?
I think a watch would help me.
Do you know how long an hour is?
2 minutes or 1?
I think it's longer than that. How is— do you know how long a minute is?
Like 1 minute or 2 minutes.
You know how long a second is?
A second. That one's hard.
That one's hard? Okay, well, I look forward to you having your watch. And if you get a watch for Christmas— are you pretty sure you will, or you don't know? Are you?
I will.
You will?
My letter out for Santa.
Okay, Santa's pretty reliable, huh?
Yeah.
Okay, once you have your watch, we should at some point we can figure out how long a minute is and how long a second is, okay?
Okay.
Okay, well, I'm going to wish you a very, very Merry Christmas, and I can't wait to hear about your new computer and your new watch and your new— what kind of dress?
A Cinderella dress.
Wow, maybe we can get a picture of you in your Cinderella dress someday too, okay?
Okay.
Okay, Merry Christmas, Alana. Bye-bye.
Merry Christmas!
