This may be a silly question but I have thought about it all weekend. how do u use the pocket of the folder once it is laminated. Do u cut in a certain spot so that it doesn't mess up the entire laminated folder. I'm new to all this and I read the post on all these great ideas everyday but this one has me stumped.
Yes, we laminate them for use as homework folders. After it has been laminated (run it on highest heat and at slowest speed!), we take a pair of scissors and just run across the place where the pocket should open. Easy as pie! We also type up "Homework Folder" in large letters and glue to the front, along with the student's name. (We use a writing program online--forgot which--so that it looks like it was handprinted and gives students help with writing their name. We make a similar sheet for the back of the folder, so students can practice writiing on the back with dry erase markers or crayons. We make use of the inside too, with a sticker version (Dollar Tree) of the alphabet and numbers...
Put everything on BEFORE laminating...I don't know what grade you teach, but take advantage of the space inside and out. Sight word lists? Cursive writing? Shapes/Colors? We also use red, green, blue, yellow folders, and assign students to a group which becomes their beginning color group for centers too. Eventually, kids don't "match" their Homework Folder anymore, but by then, it doesn't matter! It's just nice to set things up with some kind of structure at the beginning!
I always type out a cover sheet, and hot glue it on each one. It says my name, the grade, the school, and it says on it "communication folder" (I use mine to send home graded papers, and it has the kids behavior logs on it). I also leave a space for the child's name on top. I write that with a sharpie later after it has been laminated.
i'm sorry, but I'm a little lost as to what kind of folder exactly that we're talking about here....like a regular filing folder/manila?
Ayotte-- just plain paper pocket folders, no prongs! They come in multiple colors, and WalMart, Target, etc. has them for 10 cents each about now.
Yes, it does work well, I've used an EXACTO knife to cut open the pocket on top. I've also just tried something new - I hope it'll be durable: I wanted to try to make a pocket along the back of filefloder games to keep the little bag with small pieces. before laminating the whole filfolder game, I taped a strip of construction paper on the back, to creat a "pocket" for the pieces. Then, using the same technique above, I laminated the filefolder games, sliced open the opckets with an exacto knife, and now there are laminated pockets!
I laminate the ones w/ prongs. I keep a copy of our classroom rules that the kids sign, a copy of our procedures that the kids sign, and their weekly behavior charts for the year. I also staple a paper to the inside pocket for the parents to sign each week saying that they have read over the papers with their child.
Great idea, Tulips! Amazing how easy it is to innovate!! (But no one person can think of it all--hence, this forum!! :-D) Loves2teach--I think our office manager would kill us if we tried to run prongs through the machine! Have you ever had any problems with it? I probably don't need prongs anyway, but you never know where you'll be next year!!
I would also like to know how you laminate folders with prongs. I have a bunch and it would be great if I could laminate them.
I lay my folder with the prongs to one side. Then when I cut them out, it only pulls the laminate up a little bit. I cut around it just like when I cut open the pockets. It only laminates on one side (the side that was up) but it is still pretty strong. It does no harm to the machine, because the prongs are inside the protective cardboard/paper.
Thanks! I hope I remember that for future use.... of course, I will still do it after hours and out of the sight of my office manager! :-D
http://www.omxschooled.com/download/thursdays.pdf At office max they are advertising free lamination on Thursdays. I don't know if they will allow folders... but, why not? (at least the non-metal prong ones). I would call and ask though before you drive up in case this promotion is only for some stores.
I bought the folders with the prongs from Target ands it seems like this year they are really thin and cheap. I wanted to try to laminate the pronged ones but didn't think it would work. Now I am going to try it. Thanks for the tips!
I am so happy I saw this post! I just bought folders for all of my students today at Office Depot, and I bought the cheap ones for the sake of affordability. I was thinking to myself, I wonder if it would work to laminate these, they are never going to last! But couldn't work it out in my head! LOL! I love this forum!
Ever get really annoyed at yourself when you're laminating small pieces and you realize that you inadvertantly laminated two pieces together, back to back? Exacto knife to the rescue again!! after you've cut out the pieces from the whole laminating sheet, trim that specific piece a little extra, so that the laminating "seal" is broken. Then use an exacto knife (or pair of scissors) to separate the rest, and relaminate the separated pieces. Can't take credit for this one. My sister's came up with it when it happened to me!
an added bonus? I love the ideas about the laminated folders with prongs! I was thinking of putting some clear page protector sheets inside each child's folder.....I want to put our weekly news letter in them, a sign sheet that they saw everything, etc......think it would work?----I will train the kids how to put the weekly newsletter in so that I don't have to do all the work
I'm having a hard time picturing this .... Do you mean that that the folder is closed, so that the outside gets laminated and you slit open the folder?
Oooo, I'm glad I checked this one out because I bought a bunch (three class sets) of folders at the Staples penny sale and then realized that they had prongs. I definitely wanted to laminate them but was thinking maybe it wouldn't be good to do that...but I'll give it a shot now
oh, sorry, that's embarrassing. I think I get it now: The folder is open, but the white protective part is pushed to the side and covers the prongs. Is that right?
No one but a teacher could get so much mileage (22 posts!) out of a thread on laminating folders!!!!!!! Gotta love it! :-D
No... I am like you, I have a hard time picturing things. Yes, that is what I do. I like to have my "hole" side up because the laminate seems to protect the hole to where it doesn't rip.
Remove and flip I also laminate the ones with prongs. I take out the middle, laminate and then put the staple part in backwards. That way the new things go on top of the old things. I don't know how many of you have a Staples store near you but ours had these folders on sale for a penny a piece.
So right about that, Patti!! I CANNOT TURN OFF MY COMPUTER THIS SUMMER!!!!! One thread leads to another....another thread leads to a link....I am keeping so many notes for "new ideas" that I am feeling overwhelmed just like I did in my first year of teaching! HAHA! But I guess it's "all good..........." When I leave the computer to go to bed, I have to read. Last night I was three chapters away from the end of a book, so of course, I had to finish it. It was another 1:00 am night for me. (But I lazily slept in this morning until about 9:30. Gotta get out of this rut. School starts in two weeks!)
My kids take them home every Monday with new homework and return them on Friday. We include our weekly newsletter in it, along with anything else that is ready to go on Monday. I make them even more interactive by giving them things ON their folder to do: practice name writing, numbers, etc.
Mine lasted all year. I had one child who needed a new one but the rest looked really good at the end. My kiddos took them home and used them each and every night. The only thing is where you cut at the pouch part the lamination starts to peel off a little and they would pull it off but the outside still held up well.
Cut faster! Okay-this is just an FYI and most of you probably already do this. You can go much faster cutting out laminated things if you use the large paper cutter in the teacher's lounge! I was doing that last year when another teacher scared me by yelling, "How long have you known about that trick???!!!!" She had been cutting everything out by hand for YEARS! I was worried about it hurting the blade, but most of the blades are self sharpening. So, once I finish, I just cut nothing about five times to sharpen the blade!
I use it sometimes, but I love when those sharp scissors just g-l-i-d-e down a straight edge!! :-D That can go pretty fast too! Plus, I trust my scissors more than I trust the arm of that monster!!
Monster, haha. When I was a kid that blade scared me to death. I found a scissor sharpening tool at Wal Mart in the fabric department today. Hope it works. It takes forever to cut things out. I have lots more to do.
If you need an extra small pocket (someone mentioned that somewhere) you can glue a library pocket on the folder front or back. Then slit the opening just like the pockets inside. Gives you an extra little pocket for ... whatever. I teach preschool and send my folders home every night for home work (yep, we have skill practice from time to time) newsletters, communication, etc.. Another way to use them for practice. I print the alphabet and numbers using a font with dot to dot letters and lines. I glue the sheet to the back of the child's folder. Then it's an assignment from time to time to trace the letters and numbers. When you laminate the folders you can then use a dry erase marker on them!! I also do this in file folders as a classroom set to work on. I put a sheet of their name on the front (over and over and a few blank lines for practice) I put their addressee and phone number inside for practice tracing it and writing it on their own (some are ready and some aren't) and then the alphabet and numbers on the back. The kids use dry erase markers (and think that is so cool) for writing practice at least once a week.
WOW!!! I buy the paper folders every year for a penny and I have never thought to laminate. Thanks a bunch, that is a great idea. Also, I printed out the free laminating coupon and I am going to try and use it- I'm in NJ
Shoot! I just ruined my nails pulling out the center strip of 60 folders with because I couldn't find a staple remover and I wanted the folders to be laminated, and I'm under a deadline here because SCHOOL STARTS ON WEDNESDAY AND I'M NOT READY! Now I have to go get my nails done again.
help! me too...this may be a stupid question...I understand about cutting the pockets, but if you laminate the folder while it is open, how does the folder bend again in the center crease to close it?
Yes, as long as you are using regular lamination and not the heavy-duty-really-thick stuff, it should fold, after you run your hand across the crease of the folded floder a few times. Good luck!
