Cut and Paste: Land, Air, and Water

I feel it is important to offer children opportunities to practice varying skills while promoting a specific concept.  Our class has been learning about the Earth and the students have been enjoying some different activities around the class - coloring Land and Water Flat Maps and Coffee Filter Earth Art to name a couple.  The following lesson provides the children another chance to internalize the idea of land, air, and water while practicing fine motor control, reading skills and building concentration.

The materials on a Language shelf:  Paper holder with pictures of objects representative of land, air, or water; another paper holder with a chart with three headings for the child to identify:  Land, Air, Water; small tray with pencil, scissors, glue stick, and a thin plastic gluing mat (under tray).

Chart

Picture of objects.

I demonstrated the lesson at circle time.  To the the work, the child take one of each of the paper, the tray, gluing mat to the table.  I showed how to cut on the lines around the pictures and make a small pile  next to the work space.  Once all of the pictures are cut out, the child sorts them into the corresponding columns on the chart and glues them into place with the glue stick.

The student is in the process of cutting out each picture.

I have been pleased with the amount of concentration the children are using to complete this lesson.  While it may appear quite simple, this process is actually quite time consuming - the children are building their concentration and coordination, while others are practicing patience to wait their turn to use the materials! :)  Most pleasing, however, is seeing the sense of satisfaction and pride of a child when they have completed this lesson.

Cut and Paste: Land, Air, and Water