Friday Fun

New school supplies are so exciting for the little ones.  I like to make sure they get a chance to use all of them within the first couple of days.  Their first cutting experience this year was quite simple.  They had to cut off the margins of a piece of notebook paper.  Then cut the lines on those, as well as the larger section of lines.

Then they got to put those strips on a piece of construction paper to create their own picture or design.  Here are the results.
    

Not only did they enjoy this simple task, but it gave me an opportunity for some informal assessment:

fine motor and perceptual skills; work habits; ability to stay on task, etc. 

I'd love for you to leave a comment about what kinds of beginning-of-the-year activities you plan for your students so you can make some informal observations.