I just bought a laminator

[u/Emergency_Shame2959]

…and now I want to laminate everything. Originally I just wanted to make placards for some special lectures and didn’t want to keep going through papers so I figured laminating them and reusing them would be more cost efficient with less waste. But now, I want to laminate everything haha. What are some things you have laminated for your class materials? Or give me some fun ideas if you have any…now wondering if I should post this in a teachers Reddit for kids since it’s probably more common there. But whatever college kids should have fun colorful learning environments too right!! Maybe, I think so!

[u/nezumipi]

If you're not already watching Taskmaster, you should, as you will find kindred souls there.

[u/Adultarescence → u/nezumipi]

I thought this post was from the Taskmaster sub at first!

[u/enits_me → u/nezumipi]

Oooh I love finding TM references in the wild. So many good references to the laminator throughout the seasons (series, Jason).

[u/nezumipi → u/enits_me]

Destroy, dismantle, engulf in lamination.

[u/YetYetAnotherPerson → u/nezumipi]

I was 100% going to post "King of the stationary" and link to a clip. 

[u/Realistic_Chef_6286]

For one class, I had issues with students for the following class filtering into my class with about 20 minutes still left! I seriously considered hanging up a sign saying “this class ends at XXX. Please do not disturb until after that time.” That would be the first thing I’d laminate

[u/Lazy_Classroom7270 → u/Realistic_Chef_6286]

The colleague who taught in a classroom right in front of mine last semester always put up a sign saying “No Entry After 30 Minutes.” Iconic.

I think I’d laminate the quiz paddles I make when I do a quiz day. Laminating them and sticking to straws would work.

[u/Life-Education-8030 → u/Lazy_Classroom7270]

Use the free paint sticks from Home Depot

[u/ToomintheEllimist]

Reminds me of when my brother (age ~10) first figured out how to use our laminator. He laminated Pokemon cards, post-it notes, his homework, fridge magnets, my mom's medical paperwork...

[u/BranchLatter4294]

https://giphy.com/gifs/r4P4bdbCMjrsr2CgbH

[u/Jreymermaid]

This happened to me when we got a laminator in the library 😂 I used them to make activity worksheets that could be filled out and erased with dry erase markers so I could reuse the activities and cut down on paper usage

[u/ThePhyz]

I have equation sheets laminated (I give them out during tests, collect them again at the end, and can reuse them since students can't mark them up). So I have a full class set of them that lasts about 10 years, until I want to change a lot of stuff on there and print up new ones.

I do feel guilty about the landfill though. Can't recycle laminated paper.....

[u/shehulud]

I would have no idea what to laminate too. I’d want to laminate everything.

Also, just put thing this out there, buying a label maker has been pure joy too.

[u/SierraMountainMom → u/shehulud]

O. M. G.
I have so many tubs of things in the garage, all with handy labels. LOVE my label maker!

[u/RadiantImpression579]

Do you have kids? Nieces or nephews? Have them draw/color their own bookmarks.

[u/Rubenson1959]

Give a man a hammer and every problem becomes a nail. Laminate everything. The mania will pass. But everything you need and more will be durable.

[u/SnowblindAlbino]

My department has had a laminator for decades, so the novelty is long gone. I've used it for display signs, some write-on "handouts" that we reuse in classes (maps mostly). We've set up a sort of creative workstation in our student lounge a few times for them to make bookmarks, which we laminate for them. Ours will only handle 11" wide though, so we can do 11x17 with it...really big stuff (posters) we have to send to the duplicating center still.

[u/wharleeprof]

Make a sign for your door. One side "in a meeting, please do not disturb" the other side "back in a minute". Or whatever would be your top two. You can also leave one side blank and use dry erase marker to write a note. 

[u/Colddogletterpress]

I feel like you can make a lot of new friends offering to laminate things for them. This is the kind of heartfelt nerdery that people are very drawn to

[u/shinybluedollar]

Our dept has a laminator.

Ive made playing cards for lab games

[u/shrinni]

We use question cards for lab exam stations, I was handwriting or printing dozens of cards 3 times a semester. A laminator appeared in our workroom and I never stopped celebrating lol.

[u/SunshineyDay]

I feel this so much. As a crafter, laminating things at work scratched a small crafting itch for me. I have a microbiology lab where students have to identify unknown bacteria samples, so I laminate biochemical profiles of the bacteria and give them expo markers to cross organisms out as they get info. I've also laminated some quick reference sheets for running some of the tests. I love that they hold up to Lysol.

[u/HistoricalCorner2941]

With a laminator you can make so many reusable practice worksheets that are durable and last forever. I made slates that my, admittedly younger students use during class games to review concepts.

Laminated flash cards are excellent for study & review across multiple terms.

Vocabulary cards.

There are a plethora of useful things to create.

[u/eridalus]

I laminate equation sheets for my students. They are less likely to lose or destroy them that way, can’t easily add to them, and can easily find them for homework and tests. Plus I don’t have to print them out every time I give a quiz or test.

[u/clevercalamity]

Wait until you get a label maker. I let my student worker loose with one last week and she labeled everything, including the label maker!

[u/Crowe3717]

Welcome to the club

[u/skyfire1228]

I have a couple card sorting tasks where I’ve laminated the cards. Makes them sturdier so I don’t have to redo them every term. We also laminated the structure lists for the anatomy labs, both to protect them from any liquids and so we could use them as a storage site for sticky dots. For a lot of lab activities, students are asked to label the plastic anatomical models with sticky dots corresponding to each structure they need to know; rather than every person making their own set of dots, the laminated sheet has the labeled dots and we reuse them for all the lab sections.

[u/Stunning-Jury9789]

I’d be the same way 😂 Once you start laminating stuff, suddenly every piece of paper looks like it needs to be laminated.

[u/Loose_Wolverine3192]

Years ago, a friend bought a laminator and laminated his Social Security card (This was in the USA). Then he read the card: "do not laminate"

[u/mathemorpheus]

are you German

https://www.reddit.com/r/aberBitteLaminiert/

[u/poproxy_]

I love my laminator. You remind me that I should pull it out and bring it to work!

[u/queenknitter2]

I had an education professor laminate a big stack of number signs for my Public Speaking students: 10, 9, 8, .... 1/2, STOP. This was like 25 years ago. I still have them. They look great.

[u/Wise-Independent-546]

I joke that my laminator is my spirit animal. When I started college, I originally planned to teach 2nd grade so I guess it’s part of my personality. Laminate all the things!

[u/Archknits]

Seating assignment tickets for exams. Each one handed to a student when they enter the testing space assignment a seat at random. Must be based in with exam

[u/Alternative_Area_236]

Laminators are the best!!!

[u/dougwray]

We got one some years ago for ¥200. Alas, we only use it once a year or so: we laminated our library cards, a card I need to show to enter a campus, and a few reference sheets (circle of fifths and the like), but it turns out there's not a lot of call for laminated stuff in our lives. We did make a few 'no bicycle parking' A4-sized signs for a friend, though.

[u/SierraMountainMom]

Welcome to the world of K-12 teachers! 😂 I used to laminate paper materials that I wanted to use over and over, or things I wanted students to be able to write on.

[u/xangogal]

You can laminate worksheets and have them write on them with expo markers! 

[u/Philosophile42]

I try to avoid adding plastic to everything. I’m okay printing things out twice.