My seven (nearly eight) year old daughter has been asking for a typewriter for nearly a year and recently wrote Santa a note asking for one at Christmas. (She does the Santa thing, a true believer.)

I'm looking at two models, a Smith Corona Galaxie and an Olivetti #32, both portables. The Olivetti is a much smaller scaled typewriter, so that's an advantage for little hands. The SC Galaxie is bigger with a solid casing (no holes for her to stick her fingers between the keys.) They are similarly priced, clean and refurbished, and include their original cases. But the refurbished ones don't go cheap, so I'm debating.

Asking about the suitability of each, here's what the Yi says:

The Galaxie: 34.1>32 Too much machine for the child?

The Olivetti #32: 1.1,3>6

The second reading makes me laugh. Ewald translates line 3 as

Until the end of the day the noble one is vibrant, vibrant.
At sunset he is alert as if there is danger.
Without fault.

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I can imagine my daughter up waaaay past bedtime, sneak-pecking at her little portable typewriter up in her loft bed. (Her "fort".) Always with an ear out for me in case I catch her.

Anything to add to this?

Couple thoughts. At a glance, they both seem outmoded. The the first is overbuilt for your daughter's purpose, like using a tank for light tasks. The second seems like it's unreliable and unsuitable.

Have you considered a little PC? You can buy a used one for cheap these days, and install learning programs and games. Plus it's something she can grow into (32). Might be worth inquiring about.

I have seen schools in some countries buy small computers for the children to learn on, and I think they cost about $100 - $150 brand new. These small computers are ideal for children in the same age group as your daughter.

I forgot, neither of these typewriters are suitable for your daughter, so if she doesn't want the compact computer and only wants an old typewriter, there are the smaller travel ones still to be found in second hand shops.

I like where your daughter has her heart. Well done. Obviously, you already have a PC at home, so that's not the issue. She wants to "write" and without distractions. The analog experience. I'd go for the Olivetti. Those monsters are simple and don't die short of a sledgehammer hit.

Thanks for your suggestions, all.

My daughter does, indeed, already have a PC at home. Her father is an embedded systems engineer and great at frankenstiening all manner of inexpensive cast-offs suitable for a child's use. She's had years of use on that thing, in all it's changing/updating forms and has become incredibly proficient for a second grader. Is intensely interested in basic graphic design now. And she loves to hog my mac whenever possible. So this isn't a matter of simply finding a word-processing platform for her.

She is also a prolific artist who is exploring multiple mediums: pen and ink, watercolor, marker...her recent projects have been hand-drawn cartoons with story lines, alternating perspectives, close-up panels, etc. It's a joy to see her enthusiasm and intense creativity.

I, too, like my daughter's interest in a typewriter. I think it's a great new medium, one that will force her to think a little harder about her words as she bangs them out. She's born experimenter.

And bonus for the mother: no more freaking out about crumbs, spilled drinks, inappropriate downloads/websites, cats chewing cords, gunked up roller balls in dysfunctional mice... She may be a brilliant little adept on the PC, but she's proven herself over and over STILL a little kid. No way am I ready to buy her a laptop! The Olivetti, I agree, is practically childproof.

So I think I'm siding with Sparhawk on this one. For the price of a laptop that will soon go obsolete, I'll do an end-run and go for the extreme option--a 50 year old refurbished typewriter!

(And if she tires of it, her mother might adopt it for a little poetry production...)

I completely missed that her heart was already on a typewriter.

I get the beauty of analog, particularly in sound. Interesting that an eight year old does as well.

What an incredible question,,i must study this
Steve

I instanly thought willam burrougs the writer junkie but hey around here i feel like charlie brown sometimes

i need to analyse this one

Steve

Yes, I think it's easy to assume that a young person would want something electronic, something totally up-to-date. Thank god my girl is more of a DIY type. She'll need that kind of vision (and I need that kind of break) in this economy.

Steve--glad to hear I've finally posted an intriguing question. Do you work with a manual typewriter?

I'd think the Olivetti. Tackling things in her own individual way, being creative.

When I was quite young, but a bit older than your daughter, I discovered a manual in my father's desk with which he had learned ten-finger typing back when he was a young man. I got the typewriter out (which he allowed after some grumbling) and made a cardboard shoebox over it, so I could not see my hands, and taught myself typing blind and with ten fingers. Still happy that I did, and happy that I was allowed to.

Now innumerable sheets of paper and digital docs are filled with it. It is great to be able to write in the same speed you think with.

Heylise that is a wonderful story- I wish I could type like that- my typing is more of a point your finger and press each key one at a time with my nose screwed up hahaha

Hi

heylise said:

It is great to be able to write in the same speed you think with.

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Despite the fact that I'm a 2-fingers typist, I also write in the same speed I think.

Ough... guess doens't say much about my typing skills but about my brain

Best wishes to all

I think on my feet ......does that mean I should be typing with my toes.
Now that would be painfully slow.

Yes, love your story, LiSe! That's ingenuity; better than the Mavis Beacon system!

From a neurological/developmental point of view, I'm sure there's lots to recommend by slowing down one's communication. For instance, I've heard that teaching penmanship during the same years one is learning to read greatly increases the pace of literacy skills. The left brain/right brain cooperation required to form letters brands these symbols into the brain for faster retrieval. Handwriting is essential; word processing on a keyboard did not have the same effect.

As an amateur calligrapher, I can vouch for the meditative qualities of that skill. Unfortunately I little time to practice it these days.

I'm curious to see what effects this little typewriter will have on my daughter's self expression. Conquering the keyboard is no small (fine) motor feat.