Materials

• Child-safe scissors (1 per artist)
• Small trays or baskets for paper scraps
• Variety of materials to cut:
  • Colored paper, cardstock, magazines, tissue paper, ribbon, yarn, straws
  • Paint samples or old artwork for repurposing
• Optional: mini baskets for sorting shapes or “cutting collections”

Tasks to Build Bin

1. Collect a variety of cuttable materials — choose a mix of thin, thick, and textured papers + ribbons, straws, yarn, fabric, other scraps.
2. Pre-cut larger pieces into manageable sections.
3. Make a few sets of a baskets slabeled Scraps to Cut and a second labeled Cut Pieces.

Setup

• Distribute scissors to each artist and
• Place a basket of of mixed materials at between each seat (kids can share the basket) and a basket for cut pieces.
• Demonstrate safe scissor handling: thumbs up, open close like an aligator, push away from you.

Teacher Notes

• Encourage experimentation — there’s no right way to cut!
• Offer prompts for paper like “Can you cut straight lines? Zigzags? Tiny pieces?”
• Celebrate persistence and precision, not speed.