As we continue through our series of 5 Homeschooling Essentials I am going to talk about my laminator. Yes, my laminator is an essential. I find that without our laminator I would not be able to make many of the fun resources and extras we love. Especially during these early years of flashcards, math games, and matching, I find that having a laminator is an essential.
I like to find printables and games online and being able to laminate them at home makes them more durable as well as having the possibility to use them with multiple children. If you haven’t laminated in the past, you will find that it is super-easy and helps make your printables last. If you want them even more durable, try printing them on cardstock and then laminating.
When I first got my laminator I was laminating everything. But it definitely makes things last longer. We have laminated flashcards, pencil poke math games, game pieces, puzzles, maps and calendars. The hope is that it will allow these pieces to last through several children. At the very least, the lamination help the material last through repeated use by the current child.
Investing in a laminator can seem unnecessary, but when you consider the cost of printing, prolonging the use by laminating can save you repeated printing of your favorite games and printables. Another way to effectively use your laminator to save in homeschool costs is to laminate worksheets that you will use repeatedly and then use dry erase markers or dry erase crayons on them.
We laminated our daily calendar and writing activities and then use dry erase markers so that we can use it each day without having to print them each day. This is a huge cost savings over time. We also laminate chore charts, cleaning schedules, and other printables in our household notebook. There are so many uses for the laminator. That is why I find it to be one of our homeschool necessities.
How do you use your laminator in your homeschool?
Check out what other TOS Crew Members consider their homeschooling essentials and be sure to read the rest of the series of our 5 Homeschooling Essentials including
- Mary @ Winecup Christian Homeschool
- Jenni @ Conversaving
- Meghan @ Quiet in the Chaos
- Karen @ Tots and Me
- Beth @ Weavings
- Karen @ My Harbor Lights
- Amy @ Wildflower Ramblings
- Kristi @ The Potter’s Hand Academy
- Tara @ This Sweet Life
I’ve noticed now that my children are older I don’t laminate very much but I know when they were small a laminator was very essential.
Yes, I can see why it might become less of an essential as they get older but since my littlest is 4 months I guess i’ll be needing it for a while 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
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