Environmental Behavior (Greenlake Playground)

Description: Observing the children and parents was very interesting at Greenlake playground. All the strollers in the park where on the same side and where all very similar in style (sporty). I was specifically watching the merry-go-round and the swings which were situated in front of the benches we were sitting on. I was most interested in watching the behavior of the parents interaction with their children, children's interaction with each other, parents and children's interaction with people they did not know, and finally and most importantly I was watching the interaction of girls and boys and the gender roles that they were playing even at such a young age.

While watching the merry-go-round I noticed that young boys would push the merry-go-round over girls continually. I also noticed that dad's were more likely to be there with their sons and older children while mothers were there with more girls and smaller children. If a mother and a father were together, the father played the more physical role of playing with the child, pushing the child on the swings or the merry-go-round. But over all more women were their than men. I also payed attention to the clothes that children wore. Pink and blue stilled played an important role by distinguishing between male and female even though most of the children were old enough that you could tell this difference just by looking at them. I also came to discover that the playground was very family oriented. People did not interact with people they did not know, even if their kids were talking to other kids. Parents kept a close watch on their children and were closed off from everyone else unless they seemed to be in the family unit.

With this observation of behavior are group members came up with a question concerning gender roles: What gender roles do young children portray through their appearance and social interactions/ behavior?

I am not sure if I understand all the methods of observation yet I am still reading about their descriptions. After I read up on all of them I will be able to say which one I used. I am thinking environmental behavior? Other group members think that walk around the block might work for this research/ observation project. But I will update it after I finished reading more.

Thinking about Amsterdam..I would love to do a project on gender roles, on women's issues or something of the sort. This is why the question we decided upon as a group could possibly be applied to a project for Amsterdam.