Get Out Your Scissors!

We spend a lot of time learning to use scissors at preschool.  It's an essential skill and great for developing fine motor dexterity.  Cutting allows a child to build up the tiny muscles in the palm of his/her hand.  Cutting with scissors requires a child to use the thumb, index and middle fingers separately from the pinkie and ring fingers.  That's called hand separation and it's a hard thing to do!

Cutting also enhances a child's eye-hand coordination and encourages children to use asymetrical bilateral coordination (using both hands, while each one is doing something different).  That's another big word for an important skill.  So why do kids need to do these things?

We all use these skills every day when we do things like hold onto a toothbrush, pull up our pants, catch or throw a ball, zip up our coats, wash dishes, open up an envelope, and drive a car.  Think of all that we can do because we learned to cut with scissors!

One more benefit of learning to cut is that cutting is like scribbling... it's a precursor to writing,  And good eye-hand coordination even helps a child learn to read.

Now that you know why scissors are important, look at how well we can cut!

These collages were made with the pieces of paper that the three year olds cut all by themselves. Aren't they interesting shapes?

Scissors aren't just for paper anymore... cutting playdoh is fun and a great way to practice!

 

The smaller the pieces, the bigger the challenge.  Going around curves is advanced cutting!

 

Do you know something else you can do with scissors?  Clip BoxTops! Each one of these little coupons is worth 10 cents for our school.  They add up fast and everything we earn through this program go towards fun programs and special events for our kids.

Our classroom contest is off to a great start too.  At the end of the year, the top three classes will have a fun party with the Pizza Pirate.

Last year we collected enough BoxTops to earn almost $2000.  (That's a whole lot of clipping, folks!)
Here are the class standings so far.  Want your class to win a Pirate Pizza Party?  Get out your scissors and start clipping!

Twos!

Why are lots of things in twos?

Hands on clocks and gloves and shoes.

Scissor-blades and water taps,

Pairs of socks and backpack straps.

And this will come as no surprise,

Two legs, two arms, two ears, two eyes.

Two year olds can laugh and play,

They learn something every day.

They can paint and build and run,

Share and slide and sing - what fun!

Will you kindly tell me who's

So fond of making things in twos?

Wherever I am, if you go too,

We will be there, just us two.

But if we include all our friends,

The fun and learning never ends!

Going on a Field Trip

How much do you know about seeds?  Our fours and fives learned a lot about them when they visited Blue Jay Point this past week.

Some seeds fall to the ground, some are carried by animals, and some catch the wind and soar across fields and streams.  There are so many ways that seeds can travel!

The children listened to a seed story and played a fun seed game.  Do you know the connection between seeds and animals?  These kids do!

Then they went on a hunt through the park looking for "floaters" and “hitchhikers.”

Wonder what these naturalists found?  It looks to me like they found a lot of FUN!

 

Want to know more about seeds and how they get around?  Read Eric Carle's The Tiny Seed.  It's a great story for little scientists.