I thoroughly enjoyed today's movie depicting different play environments and perceptions of play. I found it interesting and thought provoking as well. The thing that really got to me was the difference in urban kids vs. suburban kids in the way that they approached the city project. Moreover, I was amused by how kids explained their play experience. The kids from the island described the idea of play at such a high level using concepts that an average 10 year old would not think of identifying play with. The movie truly exposed the importance of play. The weekly readings are also interesting, but I feel as though this movie really set the tone of play due to the fact we were witnessing students engage in it and comparing different environments. In addition, I believe that parents are a part of the problem when it comes to lack of play, especially in terms of suburban kids. Suburban kids seem to be overscheduled and pushed too much, in terms of academic performance at such a young age when they should be experiencing play in a nonstructured environment. Moreover, these children are also the same children spending way too much time on video games and television while they should be playing outside. Play is truly a way for a student to learn about themselves and about the world around them in a non-forced approach. Play is so important and so many people are missing the boat on understanding the impact of play. We, as future educators and possible parents, need to reiterate the importance of play and make sure to enforce it ourselves. I also noticed how parents need to relax and let their children learn based on their own terms and experience life through play, without placing to many rules and restrictions on when, where, and how they can play.