scissors

[richardhh]

Hi all, new member,wifey been member forever.
I'm really annoyed that my 3 year old has come back from nursery with a plaster/bloody finger after being cut (by another boy) with a pair of scissors.
Its a proper cut across the top of his finger above his nail.
I wouldn't give my boy sharp scissors at home so how/why are they doing it at his nursery?
Wifey says they do their best/boys fight etc but I'm not happy.
Am I being unreasonable?

YABU for saying wifey.

There's no point having scissors that are totally blunt, as they wouldn't cut anything

I'll ignore the wifey bit cos you're new here... I'm fairly certain that its in the Early Years Curriculum that children should have open access to craft activities incl. scissors. So really it depends on the context - was your son pointing his finger too near where the cutting was going on, or did the other boy pin him down and try to remove a finger? Never great when they get injured but an unfortunate part of life.

Reasonable to ask nursery to supervise better.
They can't learn to safely use the scissors without some practice.

What is the correct forum ref for wifes please?
I'm used to motorcycle based forums and do not wish to offend!

Most use acronyms, so DW (for dear wife) would be fine, or just "my wife".
Welcome to mumsnet

Thank you Internetforever, my wife is amused, I'd still appreciate some comments on my subject matter tho. I'm seriously annoyed. I remember my daughter having her hair cut (off) at school when she was four and questioning scissor use then! I may start a campain!

Rounded end scissors that are not very sharp are the norm in early years but children do need to learn how to use scissors. I would ask how he was cut and if it was bad behaviour or an accident. I once asked if my DD could be moved away from a child who poked her with the sharp end of a pencil all the time. I was told that someone had to sit next to him. I argued that in a class of 26, my DD had done more than her fair share! I would argue the same if the scissor toting child is a serial offender. If not, accept it as an accident and part of life. What did your child say actually happened? My DD was also bitten by another child because he didn't like her singing! I always told my children to try and keep away from the more difficult ones but at 3 in a nursery that can be difficult.

Learning dexterity with scissors is a very important skill to learn. www.gandetherapies.com/PDF%20Files/TheImportanceofTeachingYourChildHowToUseScissors.pdf

Asking for more supervision around the scissors is fine, asking for them not to have access to scissors is never going to happen, and a campaign would be utterly ludicrous. But really, it's a small cut right? He didn't lose a finger or an eye. Accidents happen. If that's the worst accident he has across his schooling years, then he's doing remarkably well.

DC big school seems to have one broken arm during play time almost once a year. Including DD in y6, who leapt over a planter all kids had been told to never leap over. (sigh)

though the craft material should be available, there should be proper supervision. This is a health and safety issue. They should have spoken to you after the incident and had you sign a sheet saying that you have been notified of the injury. I would speak to the nursery and voice your concerns and have them advise you of their supervision policy. we had a situation at our nursery. A group of 3 year old girls cut each others hair. No one was hurt but the parents were very concerned.

I cut my own hand with rounded scissors recently.

We have used 3 nurseries for DC at this age. All have free access to scissors for craft etc. it's really good that they learn to use them as others have said. They are kids not robots - a minor cut may result occasionally

I've had children in Reception class cry because they DIDN'T know how to use scissors.

Whilst I can understand you are upset your child has been hurt there needs to some perspective. Settings cannot negate all risks unless we turn the room into an empty environment; pencils and paintbrushes can be poked in eyes, chairs can be tripped over, toys and other equipment can be dropped in toes, paper can cause paper cuts. Unless it was a deliberate and malicious act by the other child it is all part of the learning experience in a busy environment.

To be fair, I have two small cuts on my fingers at the moment. Both caused by........

paper!

I wouldn't get worked up about it, unless it's a regular thing.

We find that those children who aren't familiar with scissors and other tools (we have saws, drills, hammers etc) are at risk ... Teach your child that tools can cause injury if not used as intended. A slight detour but does your son use a knife and fork at home?

I am a nursery teacher and twice have had children cut themselves with "safe" scissors whilst under my supervision -I was sat right at the table with them supporting some children to cut whilst others were doing so independently. They seemed to be using them correctly so not entirely sure how they managed to cut themselves. No harm came to either of them -a cut which requires a plaster is hardly a serious matter.

If it did come about through misuse of scissors though that is a different matter. I have had a child try to take scissors to another child -luckily we got there in time! Risk assessments were done and scissors removed from general use and only available under close supervision especially tight supervision when that child was around.