Cutting...the grass!

Scissors are a popular tool in the Levana classroom.  We use them to build our fine motor skills as well as our focus.  We filled a table with focused students working with scissors on brightly colored paper.

Then we decided that the grass we've been growing was getting a little high, so why not put those scissors to a new use, and cut it!

All the children at the table got really excited to cut the grass -- we had the whole planter mowed in no time!

Fun With Scissors And Tape

The Rainbows worked on their fine-motor skills using scissors and colored tape. The children were given these materials and were free to explore with them as they wished. Some of the children only wanted to cut, while others wanted to explore with the tape, and some wanted to rip the paper. The amount of help that was needed from a teacher to hold the scissors, get the tape started, and then rip or cut off a piece varied greatly. Molly and Sami both felt confident while using the scissors and tape on their own. Molly became the 'expert' on ripping the tape and explained to her classmates, "You pop and pull.", demonstrating her technique with her fingers. Sophie was intrigued by the scissors and at first wanted to try holding them on her own. When she felt ready, she asked me to help her cut. We held the scissors together and she was successful. After a few minutes she was cutting on her own. Rose and Grayden enjoyed using the scissors and both ripped and cut their paper. No matter what type of material they were using, all the children were very involved in their creations.

A special place just to cut

Teddy Friedman and Joshua Rosenberg are practicing important cutting skills as they experiment with cutting objects of different materials, textures, thicknesses, and sizes.This is a fun way to observe their skills and make suggestions while they are engaged in something they want to be doing. Cutting aluminum foil has been very popular! I imagine that bubble wrap would be a hit too. If you have any interesting materials to add to our bin, we would be grateful for them.

Cutting with Scissors

The Levana children are becoming more adept at using scissors. Cutting paper is serious business. Just look at their faces. What tremendous concentration!

A new tool to experiment with

After snack today, we had a chance to experiment with some unusual scissors. They have a loop of flexible plastic that connects the two blades in back, allowing the children to use a pinching or squeezing action to bring the blades together to cut paper. Everyone was excited to get a chance to try the scissors. It was interesting to see some children working out which hand they wanted to use to hold the scissors. Some used two hands to squeeze from the very back of the curved handle. This activity is a great opportunity to work with eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. We explained to the children that they should only use scissors when they are with a grownup and that they need to keep their fingers away from the blades to avoid getting hurt.

Scissors and Gak

 Many of the Levana children are interested in cutting with scissors, and today we added a new dimension by switching from paper and cardboard to Gak. This mysterious substance (which we made in class last week) has qualities that make it perfect for scissor activities. It can be stretched very thin, or cut into thick chunks. It offers a little resistance, so that we must increase the pressure to the scissor handles. Gak makes a fun popping sound when the blades cut through it, and it doesn't stick to the scissors. In the top photos, Mia and Julia are using the loop scissors; below, Samantha and Sonia are having success with the traditional child-sized scissors.

Cutting Up

The Levana children are beginning to use scissors and are enthralled by the process and by the scissors themselves. On Wednesday, we used lightweight loop scissors that require just a little pressure between fingers and thumb in order to close the blades. The handle automatically opens the blades after each cut. These can be used either right or left-handed and help to develop hand strength and grasping ability. After Adam's first try, he said emphatically, "I can't do it." Within seconds, he repositioned his hand and the paper slightly, and issued an update: "I'm doing it!"

Cutting with Scissors

Sara and Leo are working very carefully to cut along the folds to make paper chains for our sukkah. After they cut the paper strips, they turn the paper into a loop, and staple the loops together! It's great to see their growing independence and confidence in the classroom!

-Alison and Sauci

Rainbows Practice Cutting

Learning to use scissors takes lots of practice and concentration. Each of these four Rainbow - Maddie, Lizzie, Nathan and Sam are trying different styles and techniques with great success.