Teacher’s Voice: Using CANARY Cutters for Cardboard Projects in the Classroom

For teachers, choosing the right cutting tool for classroom projects is about more than simply finding something that cuts. The tool needs to be easy for students to handle, practical for different materials, and appropriate for a classroom environment.

In this edition, we spoke with a retired K–5 art teacher from rural Maine who spent more than 20 years teaching art and continues to be active in arts education today.

She has been using CANARY Cutters for nearly a decade, both in her own teaching practice and with her students. From everyday classroom activities to large-scale cardboard projects, she shares how CANARY Cutters became an essential tool in her classroom.

From 20 Years of Teaching to Arts Education Today

Before retiring in 2024, she taught K–5 art for 20 years at a school in rural Maine. Although she has retired from full-time teaching, she continues to volunteer at her former school and remains active as a board member of the Maine Art Education Association.

Her experience gives her a unique perspective on the tools that work well in an elementary school art classroom, especially when students are working with materials such as cardboard.

Discovering CANARY Cutters

She first came across CANARY Cutters about 10 years ago when a co-teacher introduced them to her.

After trying them herself, she quickly became a fan.

“WOW!”

That was her immediate reaction. She liked the cutters enough that she soon purchased a set for her classroom.

An Easier Alternative to Traditional Cutters

One of the things she appreciated most about CANARY Cutters was how easy they were to use.

Compared with traditional box cutters, utility knives, and snap-off blade cutters, she found CANARY Cutters much more convenient for classroom projects.

The cutters do not require blades to be replaced or retracted, and their slim design makes them easy to store. The yellow handle also makes them easy to spot among other classroom supplies.

For students, the difference was noticeable too.

Her students enjoyed experimenting with the cutters, particularly when cutting curves and detailed shapes. She found that they were easier for students to handle than scissors and more comfortable to use for certain cutting tasks.

Why Cardboard Projects Became Possible

Cardboard was one of the materials she used most frequently in her classroom.

Before discovering CANARY Cutters, she found that scissors were not always effective for thicker cardboard. At the same time, she did not feel comfortable giving traditional utility knives or other sharp cutters to her students.

CANARY Cutters gave her another option.

She describes them as a practical cutting tool for classroom projects involving thick paper products and cardboard, allowing her to introduce projects that would have been difficult to complete with scissors alone.

“I would never have been able to do projects with cardboard before I got CANARY Cutters because scissors just didn’t do the job.”

From Classroom Projects to Theater Sets

One of her most memorable experiences with CANARY Cutters came when the school's theater group asked for help creating cardboard sets.

The project involved cutting large sheets of cardboard, something that could have been challenging with ordinary scissors.

She brought out her CANARY Cutters and started cutting the large sheets.

The theater group was impressed by how easily she was able to work with the cardboard.

It was a good example of how a simple cutting tool could open up new possibilities for hands-on creative projects.

A Tool for Creative Learning

For art teachers, hands-on projects are an important part of helping students explore materials, shapes, construction, and design.

The right tools can make it easier for teachers to introduce projects that involve materials such as cardboard and other paper products.

Based on her experience, CANARY Cutters became a tool she could rely on for these types of activities. Their compact design, ease of use, and ability to cut cardboard made them a useful addition to her classroom supplies.

Her Recommendation to Other Teachers

After nearly a decade of using CANARY Cutters, she has a simple message for other educators considering them for their classrooms:

“CANARY Cutters are a game changer for safety, cost, and ease of cutting. Every classroom should have a set!”

Her experience highlights one of the key challenges of classroom art projects: finding tools that allow students to work creatively while giving teachers practical options for working with different materials.

For classrooms that regularly use cardboard and other thick paper products, CANARY Cutters can be a useful tool to have on hand.