Kindergarten - Week 9

There is no photo to go with this post, because I don't want to ruin the surprise.

This week the kindergarten classes were working on a special surprise for a special loved one in their lives.  The project included tracing, cutting, and gluing.

A word (or many) about cutting:

I can easily see a huge gap in cutting ability between kindergarteners who are allowed to play with scissors at home, and those who are not.  I understand the concerns at home over kindergarten 'haircuts', or even the safety of the upholstery when a 5-6 year old is wielding scissors.  However, PLEASE let them practice cutting appropriate things at home!  A child who cannot cut along the line is at a major disadvantage at school, where many fun projects in every classroom require it.  I see the looks of envy when they see their more practiced friends' projects.  I see the frustration and the tears when they compare the successful cutting jobs with their own sorry attempts.  For some children, this is the first moment they decide that 'I can't do art' or 'I'm no good at it', when in reality, they simply need more exposure to catch up to the boys and girls who have had lots of opportunities to use scissors at home.