Today (February 5) I observed "outdoor" play when I went to the gym with the students. There was a lot going on and a lot of things that I noticed. I think it's obvious that this split up based on gender. The boys play with the boys, while the girls play with the girls. Every once in a while though, they will come together and the girls with chase the boys or the boys will chase the girls. But it's as if they are on two separate teams and they can't actually be with the other gender.

The other thing I noticed is that even outside play seems more structured than when we were young kids. I don't know, but I feel like when we were younger outside play was more rough and tumble. I remember play "King of the Mountain" when there was snow and I remember the boys even sometimes sneaking in some "tackle football." I feel like nowadays we need to be so concerned with everyone's safety, which don't get me wrong is a good thing, that children aren't being able to fully release all of their energy.