My observation of children took place at a preschool in Houston, Texas. There were about fourteen children in the area where I was observing; half were boys and half girls. They were between the ages of two and five. The first time I observed was October 4, at 2:00 p.m. for two hours and the second date was October 5 at 2:00 p.m. for two hours. I was to pinpoint some of the development processes that stood out to me and that I was able to relate to my current studies in Counseling.
             Early on in my observation, I did not see any children misbehaving, therefore I didn't see how they are disciplined. I did ask one of the students about their discipline police, and she said that they use time-outs and explain to the children why they are being put on a time-out. While I was there, a two and a half year-old girl began acting up by taking the toys from other children;she was doing this in a very forceful way, so the caregiver told her she was on a time-out. The little girl had to sit by herself until she was ready to play fair; within two minutes, she had said "sorry" and was ready to play again. The use of discipline is important because it fosters a sense of self-control in the children that will stay with them throughout life.
             Peer relationships were clearly noticeable between the children at both childcare visits, although the younger children at the locations did not interact with one another very much, even though they were playing alongside one another. The text states that between the ages of 2 and 7 children seek to play with children regardless of sex, but at the daycare the children grouped by sex except for one group that was being read to. The older girls were playing together at a mini-kitchen. Even though there were only girls at the daycare they all seemed be involved in the traditional female activities like making supper and cleaning. I doubt if boys were present they would be playing with the group.
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