Jada Ofili
Sociology 100
Ethnography Assignment
Location: Neighborhood park
Date: Saturday, October 8th, 2022
Start Time: 11:54 am Stop time: 12:30 pm
It's October 8th, 2022, and it's precisely 11:54 am. I am visiting my neighborhood park to
observe the people, the environment, and how they behave and interact with one another. The
weather is not too bad, but it is kind of chilly. The sun is out and shining. As I walk to the park, I
notice some other people taking walks and walking their dogs, to whom I politely wave or say hi.
The first thing I see are five people sitting on the benches on the left-hand side of the park, who
appear to be the parents of the six children playing at the park. The parents are talking and
conversing with one another while also watching their children play at the park. The children
play tag, slide down the slides, swing on the swings, and play on the monkey bars.
As a couple of minutes pass, another parent and her two children arrive at the park. The children
seem very happy and excited to be here. I know them, so they stop to say hi before running to the
other kids playing at the park. I talk to their mom for a while before she joins the other parents
on the benches.
All the parents are engaging in conversation with one another. They are also all glancing at their
kids every once in a while to ensure they are okay. The parents' behaviors differ because only
three of the parents present went to play with their kids during my time of observation.
The kids are all playing, screaming, yelling, and just having a good time with each other. They
all play together and don't leave anyone out. They go on the swings and take turns because there
are only four. They then proceed to go on the slides and monkey bars and then decide to play a
game of tag. Some of the kids go up to their parents to get them to play with them. Some kids
seem more outgoing than others.
I notice that the three parents who go to play with their kids are all women. The kids who go to
ask their parents to come to play with them also seem to be younger than the rest of the kids. I
further observed that when any of the kids felt left out, another kid always noticed and included
them.
When it's about 12:30 pm, I leave the park and make my way home. The weather is much better
now.
