What's the best way to attach desk name tags? I've seen a lot of people use contact paper, but that seems so expensive. Has anyone used clear packaging tape? Does this work? I'm wondering if it sticks to the desks and won't come off.....
Last year I attached them to the kids pencil boxes and it worked perfectly, but this year I bought the gigantic desk name plates and they are too long for the pencil boxes. I'm trying to figure out what to do too! I don't really want to tape them flat on the desks because I always end up changing the kids seats around throughout the year. I saw some neat plastic clips that had adhesive on the bottom. Each clip held a desk name plate, notecard, or whatever. They were cool because then the desk name plates were held upright so I could easily view their names. The clips allowed you to easily switch name plates with another student in case they moved seats. I thought I saw them at reallygoodstuff.com but I checked the whole entire website:| and didn't find them. Good luck to both of us!!!
I have tables in my room and I change seats every month or so, so my name tags aren't required to be on their for a real length of time. But I laminate my name tags and then I just stick them to the desks with masking tape on the back. I never had a problem with it, and they were easy to remove and switch the kids around. In the beginning of the year when I was still figuring out the behaviors in the classroom and was changing seats all the time trying to find a good set up, I actually just used a couple of globs of sticky tac on the name plates. The teacher next door uses packaging tape and never complained about it, but she changed seats every month too so it wasn't for an extended period of time. The one thing I like about using contact paper and packing tape is that nothing gets underneath them. Every time I changed seats I would wipe down the tables and I was always amazed at the amount of little crumbs, snack, glitter, or dirt that was under them!
Uclaclum, if you find those clips please post it!! I'll have 2 classes a day this year and I'm looking for an easy solution to double name plates without having them take up twice the space. Those sound good!
I'm monopolizing the thread, but I just found 2 things at reallygoodstuff.com that you might find useful! http://reallygoodstuff.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid=9a269d88-94d3-4b4a-a031-b8b76922852f http://reallygoodstuff.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid=7bbe8ccd-69d4-439e-8482-b9b14cde6788
Funny to see this thread. I hate putting desk name plates on the desks and I just got done doing just this!! Easiest-contact paper although it doesn't hold up for the long haul Fair to difficult- stickier contact paper (we must have ordered it through a teacher supply. it's a HUGE pain to put on, but it lasts the whole year) Hardest to remove- packaging tape: I caution you if you use it. It doesn't tear off desks easily and it leaves a sticky residue you have to scrap off.
I saw the tape strips but they are too short (12x4). My name plates are the long ones shown here http://reallygoodstuff.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid=e163a2eb-6a99-4fdf-bd7c-c5de5bf4ccf4 I also saw the cool table tent desk plates, but then their pencil boxes wouln't fit. Why is it that the simplest things cause us so much trouble!:woot: If my students (and their parents) thought that I put in this much time and thought into name tags, they would think I am crazy!
I knew I saw those clips on the reallygoodstuff website! They are not shown in the picture but they talk about them in this link. It looks like they aren't sold individually anymore. You have to buy them with the desk plates. http://reallygoodstuff.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid=b0821b53-baca-4703-8ccc-fcce81885af9 I also like these but they are so expensive! Too bad, because they are the perfect size for my name plates (18x5 in) http://reallygoodstuff.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid=272ca429-6b70-4fb0-b312-83ca9e35f922
I got some of the long tape strips last year for name plates. I thought I got them at Really Good Stuff??? They work really well if you can find the size you need. I guess I need to check where I got them because I want to get them again.
I always use clear packing tape, but I don't use huge nametags though. I usually use small nametags or die cuts.
Now I'm mad that my name plates are so large! I didn't know they were going to be so huge until I received them! I don't want to have to return them because by the time I pay for shipping it's not even worth it. :unsure:
I use clear packing tape and it works pretty good! It leaves a residue, but I just sprayed it with Windex, let it set up for about 10 min and it washed right off. I'll bet white vinegar would work too.
I found them!!! These are the larger tape strips. http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid=d4198a43-00c0-47f8-9568-9c64d1b258ac
I use packing tape and I didn't have any residue, but if I did, I would use some googone on it. Googone gets rid of everything!
We have metal bases on our desks, so I attach the name tags with magnets. This makes them easily movable if the kids desks are rearranged and a new side is facing front. I like having them on the front of the desks for several reasons...the kids don't really play with them and you can easily read them when you are standing at the front of the room.
Thank you Kinder4me! These are the same ones you bought? I just need to be sure that they easily come off and on for when the kids change seats and when they take their quarterly assessments. Thank you Kinder4me!
Wow! Lucky you! I'm jealous. That sounds awesome. It's nice to have them facing forward, especially for when you have a substitute.
Somewhere, on some teacher supply site, I saw tape specifically for this. It looked just like packaging tape, but was much wider. Not much help, I know. You can puchase "Goo gone" and it takes EVERYTHING right off. No scrubbing or waiting. A little goes a LONG way. I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but know Lowes has it too. (Even takes off permanent marker, gum, etc.)
Have your kids wash their desks with shaving cream. It will take off everything including the goo that is left over from the tape.
Oh man, what a shame you have to buy the whole kit, those name plates are just sooo not appropriate for Pre-K! I wonder if there is somewhere else you can get clips like that. I know they sell them all over the place that stick to the wall and hold things facing down....if we could find ones that stick down and hold things upright that would be wonderful.
Contact Tape and Sharpies? For those of you that used contact tape to cover up the nametags, can you still write on top of them with a sharpie and take it off with rubbing alcohol? I also changes seats a lot throughout the year, so I need to be able to rub off the name and put a new one down.
I used these last year, but I am not sure how mobile they are because I just move desks. That is easier for me rather than unloading desks with Kindergarten. Also, these are hard for the kiddos to pick off unlike tape. Good luck!!!
I'm thinking about using velcro. Has anybody done that, and how did that work out? I move kids around a lot, plus change seating arrangements from time to time, so I want it to be easy to change.
I laminate the tags & then tape them down with clear packaging tape. They held up pretty well until about mid-year ...
I really wish I would have seen this before yesterday! It would have saved me 2 hours!!!!! I am going to order them for next year!:huh:
I have used packaging tape on mine for three years. It isn't a big deal to get them off and the kids can do it easily for you.
I just bought a bottle of "Goo Gone" from the Dollar Tree...$1!!!! Same exact brand you can buy extremely cheap.:up:
It's funny that you all started this thread because I was just deciding a few days ago what I'm going to do. I decided to laminate my nametags (I have the long ones too) and then attach them with velcro dots to the desks. This way, I can move the students around if I need to and I don't have to worry about the tags looking ugly and old after a while because the tape is peeling up. So I will use velcro dots which I think will last all year. And i can hear the kids playing with them.
I haven't read through all the posts here, so forgive me if I am repeating stuff that's already been said. I prefer to use packaging tape because it's more clear & the kids can't pull it off as easy. It does leave a big residue. If you are patient though, it comes off. I squirt our "school supplied" brand of cleaner on it and let it sit for awhile. (when I'm working one afternoon late) After it has sat there, you can scrape it off fairly easy with a hard edge scraper. I have one that I've had forever, don't know where it came from or what it's official name is. It's orange and I call it "the table scrapper". Otherwise I use contact paper. I am going to go with it again this year. I laminated my own name plates with the self laminate stuff, it's super thick. I am going to put contact paper over them. I use tables, so it doesn't take too much for my 12 kids. When I need to replace the contact paper (b/c the kids WILL pick at it) I can reuse the name tags b/c they'll be laminated under there. I am using the stick kids in my room EVERYWHERE this year. I have in the past, but keep finding more and more stuff. So I made my own name plates. I think they're pretty cute: (the girls has a little girl and the letters at the bottom are in red)
A colleague of mine had a suggestion today that might work for us. We will be having 2 classes a day, and I don't really like the idea of having 2 names at each place- they are Pre-K and just learning their names, I don't want to get them confused. So my nametags will need to be switched out every day. She suggested buying cheap place card holders to place on the tables and stick the nameplates onto. I liked that idea because I can easily switch them every class and nothing has to be permanent. The only drawback to holding the nameplates upright is that when I give out certain items for projects and things, I often instruct the children to put them directly on their nameplates so that they are far enough away to not be tempted to touch them until we are all ready. I would lose that with place card holders. I love the velcro idea, now I am thinking maybe that will work for me......
I used to use clear packing tape but I found that it was too tempting for the kids to pull at. Plus, the edges became very dirty. I've since used little velcro circles. That was I can pull off and put on whenever I need to.
At the end of the year do the velcro circles pull off of the desks easily? I am sure I won't be able to leave them on there.
I usually use packing tape, but the kids pick at it, then the sticky part attracts dirt and it gets to be a big mess. We used googone at the end of the year - and actually had to take them outside to scrub them because there were so many fumes! I buy the clear sticky book cover material when I see it on sale for $ .50/pkg and it is easier to get off. A cheap idea would be to put the name tag in a sheet protector, cut it to fit, then just tape the edges down.
Those of you who use velcro, do the kids play with it? I will freak out if the kids push/pull on it constantly (I have noise issues...)
This will be my first year trying them, but I think that kids wont be so quick to play with the tags if they are going to make noise. Picking at tape is easier because no one knows you're doing it. But if you make your expectations clear in the beginning of the year that playing with the tags is not allowed, I think they will follow it like any other rule in the class. ALSO, I plan to have a consequence for playing with them. If you play with your name tag...it's mine! And think how easy it will be to just walk over & take it right off the desk without messing with crummy tape???????
If you use packing tape it leaves a residue on the desk when removed. Rub some Germ-X on the residue and let it sit for a minute. The sticky mess comes right off!
I have used contact paper for years and it usually looks good on the last day of school. I tell the kids on the first day of school that we are having a contest to see whose name tag looks the best on the last day of school. Usually all of the name tags look good so almost everyone gets a prize on the last day.
