Lamination

Lamination!

It can be expensive. It can be frustrating. It can be worth it.

I've taught 1st and 2nd grade for many, many years and sometimes
I feel like the laminating QUEEN!

It can get pricey if you think you have to laminate everything. It's frustrating if you've spent hours coloring & cutting a project and it gets stuck in the laminator or overlaps. But it can keep your projects protected for years to come and save you hours of prep time.

So when it is worth it to laminate a project?

My rule of thumb is: 

• If the kids are going to be handling it- LAMINATE IT (Like cards or pictures)
• If it's something you want to keep and re-use a lot- LAMINATE IT (like game boards)
• If it's a poster or chart to be places on the board or wall- DON'T (like monthly theme charts or scripture posters)
• If it's a flip chart- DON'T (plastic sheet protectors are better, reusable, and cheaper)

I would also shop around for the best prices if you're having someone do it for you like a copy shop. Lamination comes in different thicknesses and the thicker it is, the higher the price. I use 3 mil. and it's plenty thick enough for my cards and pictures. Some people prefer 5 mil. and that will feel about like the thickness of your driver's license. It also depends on if you print on regular copy paper or card stock.

Several years ago I bought one of these.

It is a Scotch Thermal Laminator. I seriously cannot live without it. In fact, I'm on my second one. I bought mine from Amazon.com but I've seen them at Wal-Mart and Target too. They even go on sale, so if you want one- watch for the sales. They range anywhere from $20-$40.
Here are the pouches I use. Also from Amazon.com

They are about $11 for a box of 100 and it is the 3 mil thickness. So that makes it 11 cents to laminate one sheet of paper. That is much cheaper that a copy shop.

So if you want to save some of your projects and want them to be more durable, you might want to consider lamination.