Shape Safari: A Cut and Paste Adventure!

Get ready for a super fun adventure where we'll use scissors and glue to make amazing shape creatures!

What We'll Need:

• Child-safe scissors
• Non-toxic glue stick or liquid glue
• Colorful construction paper
• A big piece of paper for our main picture
• Crayons or markers (if we want to add extra details!)
• Some practice paper

Let's Get Started! (Warm-up & Safety)

First, let's talk about our scissors. Scissors are tools, not toys! We only cut paper with them, and we always point them away from ourselves and our friends. Thumbs up in the big hole, fingers in the other. Let's practice opening and closing them: "Open, shut them, open, shut them." Great job!

Snip, Snip, Snip! (Cutting Practice)

Let's take our practice paper. I've drawn some lines for you (or you can draw your own!).

1. Straight Lines: Can you cut along this straight line? Vrooom, like a car driving on a road!
2. Wiggly Lines: Now try this wiggly line. Wooo, like a snake slithering!
3. Making Snippets: Let's make some small snips on the edge of the paper to make fringe. Snip, snip, snip!

(Teacher/Parent: Offer hand-over-hand guidance if needed. Praise effort.) Wow, you're becoming a great cutter!

Shape Shifters! (Cutting Shapes)

Now, let's take our colorful construction paper. I've drawn some shapes, or we can try to cut them out freehand! What shapes do you see?

• Circles: Round and round like a ball! Can you cut out a circle?
• Squares: Four sides all the same! Can you cut out a square?
• Triangles: Three pointy corners! Can you cut out a triangle?

Cut out lots of different shapes in different colors! These will be the body parts for our amazing safari creatures.

(Teacher/Parent: If cutting shapes is too tricky, have some pre-cut shapes available, or gently guide their hand. Focus on the experience.)

Safari Creation Time! (Main Activity)

Okay, Super Artist! Take your big piece of paper. This is where your shape safari creatures will live!

1. Choose your shapes: Look at all the colorful shapes you've cut out.
2. Arrange them: Before we glue, let's try placing them on your paper. What kind of creature can you make? Maybe a circle for a head? A square for a body? Triangles for ears or spikes?
3. Tell me about it: What is your creature? Does it have a name? What does it like to do?
4. Time to Glue! Once you like how it looks, pick up one shape at a time. Put a little bit of glue on the back (not too much, just a dot or a swipe!). Then, press it down onto your big paper.

You can make one big creature, or lots of little ones! Maybe a long-necked giraffe, a stripy zebra, or a completely new animal that no one has ever seen before! It's YOUR safari, so you decide!

(Teacher/Parent: Encourage experimentation. "What if you put this triangle here?" "Could that circle be a funny nose?" Offer help with glue if needed.)

Safari Showcase! (Sharing & Reflection)

Wow! Look at your amazing Shape Safari artwork! It's fantastic! Can you tell me about the creatures you made? What's your favorite part?

You did such a great job using your scissors and glue today. You were so creative!

(Teacher/Parent: Display the artwork proudly!)

Clean-Up Crew!

All great artists help clean up! Let's put the lids back on our glue, gather our paper scraps for recycling, and put our scissors away safely. Thank you for being such a great helper!