Scissors are Not Just for Cutting

Do you have the right type of scissors for your elementary children? For many years I didn't realize that there was such a thing as WRONG scissors! It was a revelation from the occupational therapist in my building. She congratulated me on having the right scissors for hand development in my art room! I had (and still have) Snippy brand scissors. Well, I bought them because they were CHEAP! Nice inexpensive scissors that cut pretty well got my vote. It seems those little scissors make the hand muscles work in the correct form for proper development. Imagine my surprise! I know a lot of the elementary teachers use the ones with the oval shaped finger handle. They change the shape on the hand when cutting and were not particularly good for development. The O.T. told me that if I had them, I should teach kids to turn them over with thumb in the large oval hole, middle finger in the round hole. I have had the same kind of scissors in my art room for over 15 years. I don't think I have spent as much in replacement scissors as I would have if buying those expensive scissors just one time. Now there are LEFTY scissors by Snippy! I know that the regular ones are supposed to cut for both hands, but imagine having scissors you can use, no matter which is your dominant hand!