Glue on your hands, glue on the table, glue on the floor? I hate it when glue gets in places where it just shouldn't be. If students are not taught how to use their glue correctly or in some kind of manner, it will typically end with a razor blade scraping it off the table. Here's how I solved this problem.
My students use these steps for gluing.
1. Open the glue by making the tongue disappear. (We also stick out our tongues and stick em back in)
2. With the top up, squeeze gently to make sure it's breathing. If air comes out we're good to go.
3. If no air comes out then we have to open close, open close and pick out the glue boogers!!!
4. Then we flip over and gently squeeze one "Baby Dot" onto our finger.
I have them do this exercise in grades K-2 every time we use glue to make it sink in in the upper grades.
A "Baby Dot" fits in the center of your finger. If they learn this early with their tiny hands, the dots stay small and it seems to stick with them in the later grades.
We also compare it to a Momma Dot and a Daddy Dot.
"What will happen if we use a Momma or a Daddy Dot?"
"It will go smooosh!"
If a smooosh does happen we leave it to dry clear. If we leave it and kids don't like it they are sure to try not to do it again.
5. To get the glue off our finger we rub our hands together and "Turn it to DUST!"
Kids love this and it's great because we don't always have time to wash everyone's hands.
Below are some pictures of the first activity I do with Kinders in the Fall to teach them this technique.
We are making a mosaic with many pre-cut shapes. The shapes are small which makes it great to teach why we use Baby Dots and not Daddy Dots. This activity is definitely more about the process than the product.
Trays of shapes.
Great Baby Dots
It doesn't matter to me whether the students put the dot onto to back of the piece they are gluing down or directly on the paper. I really feel like it depends on the project as to which way is best.
How do you glue?
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