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Today we did a little activity with scissor cutting just so I could see where everyone was. So proud to say that almost all of my second year students were able to cut on the lines ( straight , zig zag and curvy ) without problem and PERFECTLY ! We dont really TEACH scissor cutting. We just provide lots of opportunity to strengthen those fine motor skills and hand to eye contact so that it becomes easy for them. Scissors are out all the time. Yes, real ones. They are small but they are not safety scissors. Have you ever tried cutting with safety scissors ? Its almost as frustrating as getting those little zip ties off the toys at Christmas. What can you do to help your child become a cutting expert ? Thanks for asking . According to teachpreschool.org :

Let preschoolers cut scraps of paper

Set out some old newspapers or left over scraps of paper and just let students cut. Preschoolers need time to build their fine motor skills and this is a terrific way to encourage cutting practice.

Let preschoolers cut playdough

Set out some playdough and scissors and let students work on their cutting skills this way as well.

Work on snipping before cutting on the lines

To begin more formal cutting activities, have preschoolers start by snipping around the edges of a piece of paper. Snipping helps preschooler work on their fine motor control as well as eye-hand coordination.

Be selective in choosing cutting materials

Some materials such as fabric and tissue paper are difficult for adults to cut, yet alone preschoolers. While preschoolers are developing their ability to cut, select materials that will help them have a successful experience rather than a frustrating experience.

For very young preschoolers

Have them start with tearing paper but just like cutting, make sure the paper is something they can actually tear. Tissue paper is nice for tearing. Tearing helps to build those small muscles needed for cutting later on.

Some other things we did today were making a face on a paper plate.

We did our first fire drill. This would be a great time for you to tell your child that you have a smoke detector at home too and where they should go if the alarm sounds. No one was scared and all the veterans helped the newbies know where to go.

We read ” Pete the Cat and his Rockin New School Shoes.” They LOVE Pete the Cat books. After reading the book we looked through a book that I had yesterday with pictures of all their school shoes and guesses who’s shoes belonged to who.

Ms Melissa came to play for a while. We love it when she comes to play.

All in all, it was a great day. The kids LOVED the monkey bread we had for breakfast. If you want to make it at home it is super easy. ( ANYTHING I make is super easy.. count on it. )

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cubed
1 cup brown sugar, packed
4 pack tube biscuits
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small saucepan, add in butter and brown sugar. Let the butter melt over medium heat and whisk together with the brown sugar. Keep whisking the brown sugar and butter until the brown sugar doesn’t look grainy anymore. It took my mixture about 6-7 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a 9-inch bundt pan.
In a shallow bowl, add the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Stir until the cinnamon and sugar are combined.
Unwrap the tubes of biscuits. Slice each biscuit into fourths. Roll the pieces of biscuits into the cinnamon sugar until they are completely covered. Place into the bundt pan on top of the brown sugar mixture. Continue to roll all the pieces into the cinnamon sugar and layer them in the bundt pan.
Once all the biscuits are in the bundt pan, place in the oven for 35 minutes.
Once the monkey bread is baked let it cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the pan and the center.
Place the serving plate inverted on the bundt pan. Flip the pan upside down so the cake is sitting on the plate. Slowly pull the pan off the cake. The brown sugar mixture will drop down the sides and coat the cake.
The monkey bread is absolutely delicious while it’s still warm and the brown sugar mixture is gooey.

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