Supermarket: (MALE 101 4 years old: Oct.18, 1996)

Observation of the taped activity. Observations conducted by Tracy Amerman

The male leader introduced himself and the activity "Supermarket" to the male child (101). The leader placed a bunch of plastic food onto the floor and asked 101 what he wanted to do. 101 responded with an enthusiastic "shop" The leader told 101 he could shop for anything, but first needed to find a cart. The leader began to shop first after being asked by 101. The leader guided 101 by asking him questions such as, "do you like to shop?" and "What do you shop for?" 101 engaged in some conversation while picking out "healthy food" and putting it into his "cart". The leader asked 101 if he wanted to ring it up, but 101 asked the leader to do it. After the leader rang it up, he asked 101, "Where do you want to go?" 101 said, "home" 101 was actively involved in unpacking the groceries and placing the items in various locations on the shelves. 101 even had made a shelf into a refrigerator and freezer to hold appropriate food, such as watermelon. Once everything was unpacked, the leader asked 101 if they were done, and he responded, "yes" The leader then asked 101 questions about what they had just done. 101 answered the questions without hesitation. The activity took 12 minutes and 101 was focused and actively involved.

Commentary: The leader mentioned that this was the first time he and 101 played together, so 101 was a bit apprehensive about participating at first. The leader was effective in asking 101 guided questions that encouraged him to get involved. The leader also modeled "shopping" and 101 quickly jumped in. It was impressive to see that 101 chose food he considered "healthy." 101 seemed to fully involved himself as the activity progressed and demonstrated imaginative thought when he turned the book case into a refrigerator and freezer to hold the "appropriate" food he unpacked