Devondaisy Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Hello everyone! A lot of the children in my setting are really into cutting at the moment, due I think to the scissors being more accessible recently They are just snipping really, sometimes sticking onto card or putting the bits into envelopes to take home, but generally just cutting for the sake of cutting. For Chinese New Year we made a huge dragon and some of these children were involved in cutting along zig zag lines to make the teeth, and they really enjoyed this. I'm now struggling with what to offer them next. Any bright ideas please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Not sure how you want to proceed - but ours liked cutting spirals - you could make them into ceiling twirlers, add glitter or sequins to them, put faces and patterns on them and they become snakesor "geelings on the ceilings" an imaginary animal etc. you could also measure how long a spiral they can make from a single piece of paper that can be a bit of a wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Can they just snip away and then make a group mosaic from the little pieces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mps09 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Can they just snip away and then make a group mosaic from the little pieces? OOhHHHH I really like that idea!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Old christmas cards are great for cutting skills. Communication4all has some cutting skills booklets if you want something more structured. There used to be ideas on the fiskars website too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 just let them cut dont make it into an adult focus activity,cutting for just cutting that is probably half the fun have out different types of paper, material, celotape is fun and challenging Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 i guess it depends on wehether you need to take this skill forward. i tend to go with snipping a strip into pieces then cut along a straight line then cut along a wavy line then a zig zag line then cut around a simple shape then a spiral then a complicated shape then success!!!! often these skills need to be taught first then practised alone. Cutting properly is a skill and may need adult help to start with so that hand holds are correct but if they are still practising i would give lots of different textured paper/card and let them get on with it....we made a great collage of blue cut pieces and created an Andy Warhol swimming pool scene some time ago... great fun also tends to lend itself to elmer the elephant patchworks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I do so agree with suer, we have scissors, old cards, papers etc and scissors, different types of scissors, glue and sellotape out every day, the children can't get enough of it and pretty soon become very proficient at cutting and deciding what and how they want to cut things out and what to do with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 One of our children just loves to snip, it's his 'thing'. He sits on the floor by the paper recycling bin with his legs apart, snipping away. I always make sure there are some interesting things in there to snip. He doesn't want to do anything with the bits generally, although on Friday he noticed he'd made a triangle and sorted a few triangles into a pile, so we'll see where it takes him this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 You have reminded me of a little girl we had like that years ago Cait, she would be surrounded by tiny snips of paper, every day she came, then one day we noticed that she had stopped doing it, obviously her need had finally been met! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devondaisy Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Thanks everyone, I had to disappear last night - family crisis - but came back on this morning to all your replies! At the moment there is a selection of paper (more different colours than textures though) as well as scissors, glue, masking tape, pens, pencils etc which they now access independently. I think I'll add in some different textures of paper and card as well, and perhaps some celophane as suggested and fabric, just to add a little more interest and challenge. I like the idea of cutting a spiral - I'm sure some of the older ones would like this. They really enjoyed cutting the dragon's teeth which is what made me think they needed something with more of a purpose. One thing they do all love is being able to cut up a big cardboard box. It tends to be the boys involved in this, and we do have to re-inforce the safety rules quite often, but they love it. They just destroy it really, but there is so much communication and discussion going on it is fascinating to watch! Last time they did this they returned to it in the afternoon and the tiny bit of intact cardboard became a boat with all the boys squeezed on to avoid the sharks in the water! Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I remember as a child in the late 60's arriving in class one afternoon to find each lidded desk had a newspaper and a pair of scissors. Newspapers in those day were set out in columns. The afternoon 'art ' activity was to cut the whole newspaper into strips along the lines to improve our cutting. The session as stuck as a memory as it was a glorious afternoon with paper everywhere!!! Totally out of character for the structured days we had. God bless Mrs Evans! Just give them the resources and stand back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I find children like to cut up the playdough do, and its something reluctant cutters like to have a go at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyPancakes Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Paper dollies? I tried this with my littlies who were snip, snip, snipping last week but ended up being VERY adult led. Some children may take the idea and run with it though. Honey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Paper dollies? I tried this with my littlies who were snip, snip, snipping last week but ended up being VERY adult led. Some children may take the idea and run with it though. Honey Maybe not such a bad thing once in a while though as scissors are a tool and the currect way to hold and use them does need to be modelled. There is then a place for free use but skill development should be monitored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargrower Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Lots of our children are cutting mad at the moment too. We just let them snip to their hearts content! We have one little girl, aged 2 1/2 who has just mastered scissors and sits cutting for ages...and opening and closing her mouth as she snips! Very sweet and very funny to watch! Beehive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I got a lovely set of crinkly scissors for my own daughter a while back, all different shapes (postage stamp, heartbeat, wavy, etc.) They were only about £13 and came on a lovely wooden carousel. Maybe from letterbox or somewhere like that? I was going to suggest snowflakes, bit out of season but they do love the magic of opening them up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 the other thing our children enjoyed was having photographs of them at different activities, the ones i used were ones of the children in the forest - they had a large sheet of paper and the cut these picutes out and made a collage, sometimes they cut them inot tiny pieces others not so but it was a beautiful piece of art although adult intiated very much child led Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 At the moment ours like cutting up straws, the chopped up bits fly everwhere as you snip - so some reason the boys love this!! Also we sometimes stick loads of straws in balls of playdough, like hedghogs and they children give them 'hair cuts' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Yes we have the old scissors or the plastic ones given away free in children's mags - not much good for anything else - in the play dough - hadn't thought of the hedgehog haircut idea tho - so thanks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catma Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Old catalogues especially ones like argos. They love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Yes, Catma - they really do! great for planning Christmas lists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Making banners - recently did chinese new year and Valentines Day. In the style of paper dolls. Where they are all joined together. Hey just had a thought. You could make those paper dolls that you dress with different clothes. you could get them to cut different clothes for them. That is if they are advanced enough for that. Know it's a bit late but making paper snowflakes. I'm sure that there is a paper cutting thing that is Chinese or something. Like origami but with tearing and cutting maybe?? or am I just imagining it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Yes there is, Chinese paper cutting. It's like making snowflakes, but with a rectangle of card that you fold in half and in half and in half to end with a small rectangle. Children snip away and then open it out. We cut yellow paper and mount on red (and vice-versa) The detritus of this was what the little boy was snipping away at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 My class love old catalogues for chopping! Messy but apparently really good fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynned55 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 ooh like the idea of the photographs and the playdough hedgehogs. Ours love cutting up straws and we often have plastic scissors in the playdough but had never thought of combining the two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jayr Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hello everyone! A lot of the children in my setting are really into cutting at the moment, due I think to the scissors being more accessible recently They are just snipping really, sometimes sticking onto card or putting the bits into envelopes to take home, but generally just cutting for the sake of cutting. For Chinese New Year we made a huge dragon and some of these children were involved in cutting along zig zag lines to make the teeth, and they really enjoyed this. I'm now struggling with what to offer them next. Any bright ideas please? Thank you for your post we have messy play day, cutting up will be used next time, the Argos will come in very handy and will making a collage of some sort, Thank you Devondaisy and everyone else for your post's Jayr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) We had a two year old come into the setting today with his mum, for an initial visit.While mum and I were chattiing, the little boy went to the art trolley, chose a pair of scissors, then a piece of paper and sat down at the table, where he started to snip very neatly, all around the paper.The snips were almost equally spaced out and about the same length too. I continued watching him as we talked and mum suddenly jumped, then said 'oh my lord! he's got scissors!'.........and I just said, that it was ok, we allow the children free choice, and he's sorted himself out, with the paper etc.................and then she said, 'no, it's just that he's NEVER had scissors before, I've never given him any!!' ..........well, he's certainly picked it up from somewhere, 'cos he did it so skilfully, neatly and with such care. Net result? mum decided on the spot that we're the place for him and he starts on Friday. Bless Edited February 15, 2011 by narnia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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