Regarding nursery letting 2 year olds have biros and scissors

[ShinyShinyShiny]

DS has just moved up from the baby room to the room for 2-4 year olds. In this room all of the children have biros and scissors (with safety catches) available to them for free play as well as for specific activities.

I'm fine with DS using scissors under supervision and realise that he needs to learn to use them safely. However there have been instances of other 2 year olds wandering around with scissors in their hands without anyone noticing.

The same goes for biros, 2 year olds walking around holding them without anyone seeing it as an issue. I'm not even convinced of the benefit of using biros, surely crayons, pencils and chalk is enough for that age group?

I realise that there are older children within that room too but DS has only just turned 2 and IMO lacks the impulse control, the motor skills and the general awareness to be allowed free access to what could be dangerous objects.

Nursery say that it is a free play room with older children whose needs have to be catered for and that everything has been risked assessed.

Am I over-reacting?

I wouldn't be happy about the children wandering around with the items but in a room full of kids it's going to happen every now and then.

What's the problem with biros? My dc has scribbled with them from being tiny.

Biros aren't great for that age. They make marks that won't come out of clothing, remain on skin for days unless scrubbed. I'm sure my dc were never offered biros at nursery/infants. Plenty of more appropriate thing like crayons etc.

The scissors should be supervised and unavailable for a toddler to wander off with. 2-4 is a wide age range though, some of them nearly ready for school and others just little toddlers.

My son's preschool have a tool bench with proper hammers, nails and chisels. It terrifies me but they've never had an incident with it apparently. They're "expanding their learning" O.o

Technically the 2-3 are in the toddler room and the older 3 year olds and 4 year olds in the pre-school room but the nursery is small so they share the same room, although do separate activities.

My issue with biros is that it doesn't come out of clothes or walls that easily and the point is quite sharp. Plus some children DS's age still put things in their mouth and I'd rather it wasn't a biro. I don't see the need for them when there are crayons, chalks and washable felt tip pens in the room already.

I think 2-4 in one room is too much of an age/ability range. I wouldn't be happy with hen having free use of those items at all.

The kind of scissors they use in schools aren't dangerous. They barely cut butter.
Hopefully the children will be taught how to carry them properly.
I agree with you about biros. Little children should just use pencils and crayons IMO

Lou that sounds like really good fun actually, I assume it is only used supervised and not just left out for random crucifixion of other children free play?

I'm all for controlled risks but I think that in a busy room with lots of toddlers and older children running around potentially dangerous items shouldn't be freely available.

Just don't send your child to a Montessori nursery, OP.

Or at least dont send them to mine. The (real) iron and ironing board was out this morning.

Children's scissors, and pens?

I can't imagine what you think might happen. Hair cutting incidents, perhaps? Although I doubt the scissors are sharp enough for more than a trim. My eldest chopped diamonds out of every pair of curtains in the house once when aged two, that was a bit of an issue, but they are their curtains.biro on the walls, their walls. Why worry?

They use knives and hot pans from 4 at school.

Haha Shiny it's in the garden so weather permitting they're freely allowed in and out. There's always someone outside supervising. I won't lie when I first saw it I clutched my pearls but the kids love it.

Knives and hot pans at school don't worry me as it would be a supervised activity, not toddlers wandering around with them.

Possibly I'm being over-protective, DS lost one eye to cancer last year so I am very concerned about preserving his sight in his seeing eye. I'm conscious of not wanting to stop him doing things that could be dangerous, but I do want and proper supervision.

OFSTED encourage this kind of free play environment. It is recognised as best for development.

I think you are being a bit over protective (but I understand why).

Proper supervision is absolutely key, I agree.

I could understand it as a small group activity, but open free play seems a bit too...risky.

Sorry to hear about your DS. Hope he's doing well

They shouldn't be wandering about with scissors, so yes they should be supervised.

Well the room and it's equipment would have been risk assessed and the staff should be able to supervise so I don't see it as an issue.

This is what nurseries are good for, allowing children to do things you wouldn't do in your home

I don't see it as an issue.

Open free play is seen as good practice in nurseries.

I agree open free play is good practice.

Wandering with scissors, less so.

Thanks for the kind and helpful replies. DS is doing brilliantly thanks Non, all things considered he's been very lucky.

Nursery spoke to me at pick up and said they had reviewed the average age group of the room and as there's been a recent influx of younger children the scissors and biros and up on a shelf for use under supervision and for children to request for use during free play but definitely not for wandering around.

The school scissors I'm familiar with are round tipped and not fit to cut paper.

I refused to allow my 2 year old to access to scissors at nursery. They added it to her plan. When my eldest son was that age a group of children in his room cut each other's hair. Clearly not being supervised with the scissors.

Boo
Spoilsport
How are they going to learn how to use scissors and pens if they never have access to them?
I manage a preschool aged 2-4 and we have a block of 24 scissors out and available all the time
No issues at all