Tag Archives: laminators

Turn Your Child’s Artwork into Gift Calendars

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Does your child love to create artwork? Here is a creative way to turn those paintings and drawings into a calendar for friends and family, or just for your home office.

artwork for laminating

All you need  is:

  1. Twelve pieces of your child’s artwork on 8″x11″ paper (scan and print duplicates depending on how many calendars you need to make)
  2. A personal laminator
  3. Letter size laminating pouches
  4. Home comb or wire binding machine
  5. Comb or wire bindings ( number depends on how many calendars you need to make)
  6. 2017 calendar printouts from CalendarLabs ( number of printouts depends on how many calendars you need to make)

 

Laminating Instructions

laminator for kid's artwork

1 Decide what artwork piece fits for each month of the calendar

  1. Print each month of 2017 on high quality paper
  2. Insert each piece of artwork into a laminating pouch
  3. Insert each calendar month printout into a laminating pouch
  4. Run all 24 sheets through your home laminator

Binding Instructions

comb binding for kids artwork

  1. Organize artwork and calendar month sheets
  2. Punch and bind with your home binding machine

 

Repeat the process as needed to produce as many colorful and creative calendars you want for grandparents, other family members or friends.

calendar page

A Laminating Project That Can Change the Way Kids Read

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Yes, you can make bookmarks with your laminator. But these bookmarks are different. Thinkmark bookmarks  act as a “shout out” to any section of a book to help kids think more about what they are reading.

How It Works

1. Create Thinksmart bookmarks for students using a classroom laminator. Cut them out.

2. Give the reading assignment

3. As they read, they will be asked to find specific parts of the book during each day’s reading assignment. As a teacher, you might want them to find the part that makes them laugh,  or to find the part that leaves them confused for discussion later. With over ten callouts on the Thinksmart bookmark, a student reader can always find the section that is most important for that day’s reading.

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Download the template, laminate and trim.

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Top Summer Laminating Projects to Keep Kids Busy

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crafts

 

When the kids get bored during the summer, bring out your home laminator and get the kids involved in fun crafts. Download the free templates below and get laminating!

Summer Games. These games keep kids occupied and they are dry erase!

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Free Download Here! Laminating Ideas

Play Doh PlaceMats.   Forget the video games, these old school play doh mats help kids get creative with their hands.

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Free Download Here! PlaydoughMats-ShapeMonsters

 

Mask Cut-Outs. Though Halloween is months away, summer is still a great time to play dress-up. Kids can make their own laminated masks.

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Free Download Here! Fellowes_IdeaCenter_Child-Mask-Cut-Outs

 

Summer Reading Bookmarks. Engage kids in reading by letting them laminate their own bookmarks. They can take them to the library or the bookstore.

book marks)

Free Download Here! Fellowes_IdeaCenter_Bookmarks

 

 

Seven Ways a Laminator Can Help You Organize Your Day

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We think of laminators as an office machine or even for making crafts at home. But laminators can also help you get organized. Create some of these organizational tools using free templates and see how an average day gets a little less chaotic.

Need a laminator? Select One Here

 

Dog Walking Schedule

We love our dogs, but in any household you know the responsibility of taking him out for a walk isn’t always shared equally, especially in the AM. Laminate a dog walking schedule so that everyone takes turns with the task, leaving no excuses when Fido is wagging his tail by the front door.

dogwalk

Meal Planner

Working out of the home and running a household can get hectic. Managing what to cook every night gets easier when you plan ahead. A meal planner also makes grocery shopping very efficient.

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To Do List

Your to do list changes everyday, why create piles of paper when you can just dry erase?

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Chore Chart

Getting everyone involved in housework encourages responsibility and accountability. A chore chart is an easy way to get the kids engaged with keeping house.

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Babysitter Info Sheet

Keep important info for the babysitter on a handy dry erase laminated template. Your evening plans change, simply change the chart.

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Home Tags and Labels

Sticker tags peel off over time. Laminated tags attach with a loop like luggage and always tell you what’s inside that big box in the closet without bringing it down.

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Grocery List

Are you writing your shopping list on the back of old junk mail? Here is a more organized approach. Pin the dry erase grocery list to the fridge and fill it up over the week. When you go shopping, take it with you. Dry erase when all the groceries are put away!

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Choosing the Right Laminator to Fit Your Classroom

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Laminators are essential to teachers. However, laminators come with many different features and in many different price ranges. How can you decide when a more expensive laminator has more bells and whistles than you need? Or when a low priced laminator not up to the laminating demands of your typical school day. Here are a few questions educators can ask themselves to better select a laminator that fits their classroom.

Performance

Having a laminator that heats up faster or laminates at a faster rate may seem like a luxury, but it can be worth the extra cost. These efficiency features help you get your laminating done a lot sooner, which means more time with your students.

The Saturn 3i 95 is a reasonably priced laminator that features 1-minute warm-up with InstaHeat Technology. It can laminate a document in roughly 60 seconds.  Other laminators can include smart features like AutoSense, which allows you to change pouch and document thicknesses without making any adjustments to the machine-another great time-saver!

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Saturn 3i 95

Safety

Working around children means taking extra precautions with your classroom equipment. If this is a concern, you may want a laminator with built-in safety features. HeatGuard Technology keeps heat inside so the laminator is safe to touch. This allows you to keep your laminator out on your desk without worry.

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Price

For most teachers, classroom budgets are the primary factor in purchasing a laminator. If you can compromise on other features, you can get a good laminator workhorse for a low price. The M5-95 is a light performance laminator, but it does the job. The compact size makes it easy to be stored in the classroom, or even taken home at night when you have more laminating to do for the next school day.

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M5-95

 

 

 

How Laminators Solve the Summer Doldrums

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I’m bored…It’s the classic moan of late summer. The holidays are over. Pools? Been there, done that. So they come to you, the household entertainment director. Here’s a solution that will keep them off video games and engaged with learning, which is also deceptively fun.

Create a Memory Card Game Animal/ABC game with your laminator. Perfect for pre-school to first grade!

1. Download the free memory card templates at the Idea Center:

2. Print the fronts and the backs of the cards.

3. Put a back to every front card.

4. Laminate together fronts and backs

5. Cut the cards.

The animal cards (vs. the Letter Cards) need additional corner trimming as shown. Help your kids find the letter that corresponds to every animal. Show them how to line up the animal card on top of the letter card so that the letter shows through the trimmed corner.

Now the kids are learning about animals, the ABC’s and having fun!

Look for other great laminating ideas with free downloadable templates at the Idea Center: Fellowes Laminator Idea Center

Need help selecting the right laminator? Click Here.

More Great Laminating Ideas!

Create Bingo Cards

Laminated Autumn Leaves

Get a Laminator Coupon Offer

 

Top Laminated Teaching Tools

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Top Five Teaching Tools Teachers Can Make with a Laminator
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Laminators allow teachers to save money on teaching tools by making them last so they can be re-used again and again. Here are top five easy to make tools for every teacher.

Some great project ideas: Flash Cards Flash cards are a great way for kids to learn everything from a new language to math skills. Make flash card use a fun game with prizes in the classroom.  Laminated flash cards can last all year long.

Touchable Learning Tools Learning is more fun when kids can interact. Fun laminated shapes help pre-school and kindergarten classes connect object shape and name by touch.   Learning becomes more accessible when fun charts can be touched (even with messy fingers) laminating  keeps learning tools waterproof and easy to clean. Maps Learning geography can be fun when laminated maps can be passed around the classroom. You can even color in states as a fun activity. When the maps need to be used by a different class, the marker can be wiped clean.  Laminated maps are dry erase!

Reusable Worksheets Worksheets can be easily torn and damaged with spills, costing teachers additional funds in reprinting. Laminated worksheets engage kids in subjects from multiplication to grammar without worry of reproducing documents. Look for other great laminating ideas with free downloadable templates at the Idea Center:  Fellowes Laminator Idea Center Need help selecting the right laminator? Click Here. Check out some great laminator options: The Venus See How to Achieve Perfect Lamination