In this article, we report on a study that sought to discover micro-level social interactions in fluid outdoor learning spaces. Our methodology was centred around the children; our methods moved with them and captured their social interactions through mobile audio-recording. We argue that our methodological approach supported access to negotiations beyond adult gaze whilst acknowledging some associated ethical and practical dilemmas. Outdoor contexts were characterised by lower levels of adult presence and control and were associated with freedom to engage in sustained inter-child play and interaction. We theorise how opportunities to practice pro-social behaviour contribute to children's social cohesion in the classroom and what adults can learn from such instances in order to support children's social development and learning. Children's conversations are analysed through conceptual lenses of cultures of play, schooling and society.