You know, I really went round and round with myself about the title of this post. Every homeschool mom needs a laminator. It’s like the VeggieTale song. “Everybody has a water buffalo, yours is fast but mine is slow. Oh everybody has…” Archie interrupts, because of course not everyone truly has a water buffalo. Or a baby kangaroo.
Or in this case, not every homeschool mom has or can afford to purchase a laminator.
But, at the end of the day, I came back to this title. Because a Scotch Laminator is a pretty affordable tool that I think will save you money in the long run.
So – we are kicking off a big BACK TO HOMESCHOOL series of posts and fabulous giveaways by giving away a Scotch Laminator, 50 Laminator Pouches, and a pile of Post It Notes and Tabs to one blessed homeschool mom.
Before we get to that, I’ll leave you with ten reasons I think every homeschool mom should invest in a laminator. There are probably more reasons. I could probably write a Cheeseburger Song for my laminator. It makes me happy. But I’ll stick to ten.
- Laminators make all the things pretty. Laminate all the things! Charts and schedules and book lists. Oh my! They are all improved in appearance when they have shiny lamination film applied.
- Laminators keep all the things clean. Charts and schedules and pretty posters get touched. By dirty hands. Or dirty feet. (Don’t ask.) Or even mouths. But if you laminate all the things you don’t have to worry about that!
- Laminators keep all the things flat. No bent corners. No crumpled edges. Nice and neatly flat.
- Laminators make the things you need to hang on the wall REMOVABLE. Once laminated, you can hang up that poster with a removable command adhesive strip and your poster will come off the wall unharmed. Ready for next year. And hopefully, your paint will stay put as well.
- Laminated things don’t mind being written on with write-on/wipe-off markers or crayons. Wow. Just think of the possibilities. You can laminate your own little whiteboard sheets at a fraction of the cost! You can laminate chore charts and use them every single week for a whole year. Sweet.
- Laminated things can be three-hole punched and placed in notebooks. (Three-hole punch the paper first, and then laminate. Use a regular hole punch to then punch out the lamination so you make sure it lines up nice. My three-hole punch is heavy duty, but it doesn’t like to punch through lamination and paper both at the same time.)
- Laminated paper makes great labels and tags. Just laminate, attach with double sided sticky tape and you are good to go.
- Laminated things can be cleaned. This is similar to #2, but slightly different. Let’s say you have laminated Johnny’s special art. You dump coffee on it. You wipe it off. You go on with life. No tears. Without lamination, you’d be throwing Johnny’s awesome artwork away.
- Kids love to LAMINATE their stuff. I don’t know exactly why, but it makes my kids happy when I pull out the laminator. Almost as happy as it makes me. “Oh mom, you’re laminating? Hold on, I’ve been saving something for this. It NEEEEEEDS to be laminated.” or. . . “Mom, when are you going to use that one machine again that makes paper turn into plastic?”
- Laminated things last way longer. They’re virtually indestructible and can be used over and over to your heart’s content.
So a couple weeks ago, I wrote a post about goal setting with visual story boards, and as part of that post, I had to go buy a laminator. But guess what? I already had a Scotch laminator that I use all the time. So now I have two. And because I love you, and I’d love to gift one of you this awesome tool, I’m giving away my extra one.
Here’s the deal. Winners need to be 18 years old or older, living within the United States, obey all the related laws in their state of residence, and respond within 48 hours to the email notification of winning. For this reason, please use a valid email address that you actually check. You will NOT be added to my newsletter list by entering this giveaway.
Using it for 3 year busy bag activities!
I’ve never had a laminator – I have no idea how I’ll use it, but I’m sure it will be fun!
I love making printables for my kids.
A laminator has been on my wish list for a long time!!
Wish I could enter more times, but I’m not on Facebook or Twitter… 😳
I will use the laminator to prep all my homeschool papers, and for crafts!
Flash cards!
A couple of my favorite ways to use a lamintor would be – Alphabet matching of pictures and the letters including both uppercase and lowercase along with any matching pictures that can be used for memory games.
I had a laminator that I used on reusable materials like chore lists and daily schedules, as well as things that I wanted to post, but it disappeared! (Yes, things like that just happen around here, unfortunately).
My heart soars when I think of getting a laminator! I think it’s my most coveted homeschool desire right now 😉 Just about every week there’s something that I work on with my kiddos and have to print off….yet again….thinking “now if I just had a laminator I wouldn’t have to print this again.”
With a laminator, I think just about every piece of paper in my house would become indestructible!
I love using it for reusable schedules or to-do lists, or even math practice sheets that my kids can do multiple times to learn their math facts.
I think I’ll let laminate chore charts, name tags for back packs and anything else I can find! Thanks!
I just paid $10 to have 9 measly pages laminated at Office Depot, but I wanted to do so many more! I’m new to homeschooling, so I am creating a lot of the things that I would like to have last for more than one year.
Handwriting practice:-)
I would laminate math drills and flash cards first. I have never had one and I could think of all kinds of things I would want to laminate!
It’s been on my wish list for years! As a momma of 5 I have had plenty of materials I could have reused that didn’t survive
I will use a laminator to make games.
Definitely will use it for reusable materials that the kids can use dry erase markers for. It will save money for sure.
My favorite way to use a laminator is this year we are studying Marine Ecology and have made these nice posters to help us remember the specimens. I would love to be able to laminate them and keep them.
A laminator is on my wish list!
I’m thinking of laminating my art prints for my co-op class. Then my students could really engage with each one!
I’ve been wanting a laminator as I homeschool and it would make life a whole lot easier, and probably cheaper in the long run.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I LOVE to laminate materials we need for homeschooling, but I also love to take some great bible verses, quotes, and other inspirational things, laminate them, and post them around the house so I can memorize them and inspire my family. I also laminate old family recipes so I can not only save the recipe, but my great grandmother’s handwritten original!
I would laminate flashcards for my my oldest who learns best visually and LOVES flashcards. I would also laminate things for my 4yo who likes to draw on things and erase, like dry erase, so she can learn to write easier.
CC!
Would love to use this for some of our rules and reference pages!
I will be able to make pages that my son can use for his board of activities easier. (He is Autistic) I will be able to laminate sheets for him to practice writing skills and math skills.
I laminate flash cards and memory sheets!
With homeschooling of course! I’ve had a stack of papers that I need laminated for a long time now. I’d love to finally make that wish come true! Thanks for the chance to win!! Blessings!
Loved being able to use it for posters and thing on the wall when I was a classroom teacher. Would like to be able to do that with my kids at home.
Laminate all the things!
The endless possibilities! I’ve used one when I taught in public school, but have missed not having one while teaching at home.
To laminate map pages and many other homeschool sheets, especially ones in color, that get used repeatedly.
Favorite would be tied — charts / manlipulatives for all ages even SAT flashcards would be first then second ‘scrapbooking’ or encapsulating the special projects for scrapbooking or turning them into wall art.
I would use it to make small, sturdy handouts. 😉
To laminate some play-doh mats!
I love laminating memory verse cards as well as writing pages.
I would love to be able to laminate some pages for handwriting practice.
I would love to use the laminator for laminating our worksheets so that they can use them again and again.
I would use it to laminate all kinds of stuff. maps, reports and other things we need in Homeschool. Thanks for offering this give away.
My favourite use would be for reusable schedules and chore charts but there are a million ways a laminator would come in handy!
Everything will be laminated!! Ok, maybe a bit of an overexaggeration, but still, I have so many things to laminate. Worksheets for my preschooler, game boards that I printed out for my fifth grader, posters for the wall, Play-Doh mats, the list goes on and on:)
I love using a laminator to make flashcards
Schedules, sight words, alphabet and grammar rules
I have never owned a laminator but I have tons of ideas running through my mind now, I could use it to laminate some of my girls art work. How much fun we could have.
I would love to have a laminator! I could make my own wipe clean pages, and finally laminate my own ID card 😉
Kindergarten! Flashcards, letter games, number games, posters… just everything kindergarten so it survives to future children.
Chore charts
I don’t have a laminator yet! Would love one to use for my boys!
I wasn’t able to comment on the “easy entry comment” part of the giveaway but will do so here. I also don’t use Facebook or Twitter 🙌. But a laminator has recently made it to my wish list. Flashcards! Then the rest of the things!
I like to laminate bookmarks, art work, poster and everything we use everyday!
I would use it for 8 x 11 posters for our classroom.
I would use the laminator so the kids can easily do mazes, dot-2-dots and worksheets as many times as they want!
I would laminate everything that I don’t want ruined lol I would laminate game boards that I print off and things that are needed daily.
For sight words and different projects!
I plan to laminate prayer cards and a game of period table battleship!
I would love it to make things reusable for my next daughter to use.
I’ll use this laminator first to preserve the alphabet my preschooler is crafting.
I’ll be using it for household chore sheets, and before and after school routines.
Making matching games for my babies to learn colors, numbers, shapes, etc. Reusable for multiple kiddos!
Would love to win one. Been thinking of buying one for a while.
We’ll laminate kids artwork, flashcard, etc. I also want to use it for my menu-cards, so I’ll be able to put it on the fridge when planning the menu for the following week! I still didn’t do that at a local FedEx because it would’ve been spending a fortune at this time! I also like to laminate children’s weekly school and chores schedule, so I don’t have to reprint or copy it again 😊 thanks for such an opportunity to enter into this giveaway!
i love laminating the covers of our journals, books we make
Maps!!!
Would use it to make white board reusable homeschool activities and more.
To make our file folder games last longer
I use a laminator for a ton of stuff!! If I have to keep it, I laminate it lol
I would use them for scripture flash cards
What will I NOT laminate????? That is the real question!
I haven’t used one yet but I have a lot to laminate this year. I have a preschooler and a pre k re.
I LOVE laminating chore charts and school assignment sheets!
I like to print out educational games for school, it would be able to be nice to laminate them!
will make bible verses for the kids
I will use it to laminate stuff for my church nursery
I’m thinking of handwriting pages.
I would use it to save my kids art work, laminate bookmarks, make dry erase activities.
Wow!! I’ve been wanting a laminator but after reading your blog post 🙂 I NEED IT!!! OMGeee!
I’m getting excited just thinking about it!!!!
Laminate ALL THE THINGS! Awesome giveaway! Thank YOU!
I would use the laminator to make homeschooling items reusable for all of my children.
I like to reinforce our materials.
For math games like ‘number battleship’!
I would LOVE to use this laminator for a few reasons. 1. Spelling words/lists. So easy to dry erase the words, wipe clean. 2. To recycle papers from my oldest to my youngest. Talk about saving ink & paper!
I would LOVE to laminate some of the consumables in our Phonics program because I didn’t pop for the flashcards this time around and having those charts from her workbooks laminated would sort of fill that void. Thanks for the chance !
I will use it for song visuals mostly I think!
I’d love to use this for memory work, daily checklists and more!
Oh I have wanted a Laminator for so long but it is not as high on my to buy list right now as other things.
I would use it in our schoolroom…I am homeschooling a 5, 13, and 16 year old!
I’ve never had a laminator. I gave my mom one, and she uses it for crafts. I think it would be great for school things.
I would use it for a lot of things: wall charts, games, reusable worksheets, etc.
Laminate to use dry-erase markers on it. Awesome!
We will laminate all of our printable learning cards and such… 😀
This would be really convenient to have and use.
For printable learning games.
Laminating tons of preschool busy bag stuff
I would love to laminate the daily schedule for each of my four kids. I have never owned a laminator, but I have wished for one. Home school organization supplies just put a smile on my face! That being said, we have oodles of paper that need some lamination love.
I would love to use a laminator to preserve my children’s drawings!
If we win, we would use the laminator for bookmarks photos and more. Thank you!
Great for math notes and furmulas
I have been on the fence about a laminator. It would be nice to have one.
I would use it for reading games and activities and for math lessons. I think it would be great for making our own games.
I would laminate my son’s artwork.
One favorite?…I love to laminate mazes, number puzzles, anything that can be solved multiple times by multiple kids. With four young kids I plan on reusing a lot of my homeschool materials to keep costs down!
Chore charts, flash cards, posters… So many different things I could do with a laminator. I’ve been wanting one for a while. It would be so cool to win this one.
OMG there are so many. I would like to laminate my flash cards that I made for my kids to make them more durable.
I would use the laminator for putting together a homeschool planner as well as different worksheets for the kids that we can use with an erasable marker.
I’d love to laminate copies of paintings for the kids for Art Appreciation.
A laminator would be used for our homeschool projects, art projects, to preserve precious “works of art” and to divide our organization binders.
I would love to laminate my kids’ artwork.
This would be a great blessing! It would be great for so many things like the handwriting worksheets.
I have always wanted a laminator to make all the things pretty.
I would laminate everything. I’ve got 4 kids to homeschool so the more I can save the better!! My favorite for now would be the cursive formation cards.
This would be the most amazing addition to our homeschool room. we are a large family who struggle with one income, so we are only able to purchase the absolute essentials. we currently make due with using sheet protectors, which only last for so long. Thank you for blessing a family with such an amazing gift.
To make write & wipe printables, busy bags, and flash cards.
Brand new homeschooler here and have been thinking how convenient a laminator would be. I would use it to make daily and weekly schedules. I would also make reusable worksheets and games.
Love using it for games
Laminate projects
I’d laminate my child’s art work.
I’m not sure how I would use a laminator, but I have been looking at getting one. It seems like a very useful tool.
Laminating activity pages
Wouof love this for so many things. Saving art! Laminating practice cards and for lap book projects.