The melting snow has transformed the playground of Hiratsuka Yochien into a muddy winter wonderland, but the kids follow their own pace. Some plunge ecstatically into the puddles, some carefully make their way to the chicken coop, while still others keep warm in the library.
When one boy finds himself being throttled with a plastic toy by another child, other children come running to his aid.
No whistle marks the end of the morning's outdoor playtime. It simply peters out as more and more children make their way into the classrooms to investigate what the teachers are up to.