How do you keep your name tags on students desk fresh all year? Last year I went through about 4 sets. They peel up, got wet for some reason and just looked messy. I know someone on here talked about contact tape for something. Would that work? Or do you just leave them off the desks once one set is messy? I never thought about laminating but still.... ideas?
Name tags I use clear contact paper to attach my name tags to my student's desks. Most of the time, they last all year. Some students do have a tendency to pick at the corners, but most of them last. You can even wash over the contact paper when you wash desks and it stays.
Someone on this forum suggested contact paper last year, and I really liked it. Before, I put clear packing tape over the whole tag, so it felt laminated and didn't stick up from the desk. However, it curled up really easily when the kids picked at it, and it left a lot of residue when it was taken off at the end of the year. The contact paper doesn't curl up as easily, and it came off really cleanly. I only use one set during the year. If they pull it up, then they go without. They are usually all still on by the end of the year, though, with the contact paper.
For the past two years I have managed to have nametags last through the whole year. I laminated them and taped them down with regular scotch tape all the way around the nameplate. The tried to peel the tape, but I taped the you know what out of it and they weren't able to get them off. Down side- I had tables, not desks, so when I needed to move kids around, I had to use scissors to get the nameplates up. But hey, they stayed. I tried everything else-contact paper, individual adhesive holders, etc. but this is what I found works, and will continue to do.
I taped the crap out of the things as well. It just looked messy. I like smooth clean lines and it was all messy looking.
I used packing tape stuff and no matter how good my kids were they would ALWAYS pick at them grrrrr It came to a point where I said "too bad, so sad" However, I gave the name tags VALUE = ) I picked ones that had alphabet, number line, hundreds chart, etc. and said they can use it as a resource when they practice their math and even on math tests if they remember! (I'm all about giving credit to kids who know how to use resources) Never thought of contact paper. I'll have to try that this year,
I have to have name tags because I move my kids so often that sometimes I even forget where they sit. I asses and then group, assess and then group. Plus I want the kids to get used to sitting with different people. I tried no name tags for about a week and when I would pass back papers and someone was absent I really had to think of who was missing. lol Also its good for a sub to know where the kids sit.
When I used nametags, I laminated them and just used clear packing tape to loop/double side and stick to the desk. They held up very well and the kiddos weren't tempted to peel them.
My kids didn't necessarily peel them(last year...hope they won't this year either) but when they would take their books out just the wear and tear of sliding stuff back and forth made the tape come up.
I have used contact paper. (It can be purchased at Walmart or craft-type stores.) To prevent peeling/rolling on the corners, round them. Contact paper works well and tends to clean off easily. Once you remove the name tag, there is little to no residue left. Another thing that I have done... laminate the nametags and attach them underneath with a couple loops of packing tape. Of course, I do tell the kids that I will "buy back" their nametags at the end of the year. Purchase price? A pop. Condition? Near new. You would not believe how careful they are. I do accept slight wear-n-tear due to use but abuse or graffiti-type artistry is not accepted. You would not believe how good they take care of them... seriously, I have been doing this for the past three years and the nametags are nearly pristine.
I laminate mine and then just use the loops of masking tape on the back to tape them to the desk. They continue to look good and if they come up, I just retape them. It works great!
I have used contact paper, but it took forever to cut the right size and get the nametags on the desks. If I used it again I would buy the precut ones. This year I did clear packing tape on just the top and bottom(which also took hours to finish). Almost every kid pulled theirs off. I do not replace name tags if they pull it off-they just go without. I like the idea of laminating them and "buying" them back.
Last year I decided to go without name tags. I got tired of kids messing with them and peeling them off. I also wanted to try not having to move the desks as much and instead had the kids move all of their stuff when I changed seating arrangements. It actually work really well. I prefer it and will not be going back to nametags.
Good idea but you also teach 4th. My kids are still learning to spell their name. I wish I could do what you do!
I also did the packing tape method, and at the end of the year-no one had a name tag. I think I am going to try laminating them this year too. Contact paper just seems like it would take forever to cut to size.
I laminated them, then taped them around the edges with packing tape. Then I told them very often how long it took me to make them and how hard I worked. You can even leave an occasional clean desk fairy award to those with neat desks ( nametag included) and I only used one set last year. I did have to retape a few that came loose from general wear and tear but that's all.
I use the self-adhesive nametags from Really Good Stuff. They are easy to stick down. When they get ugly, I take them. But since they have a multiplication chart on them, my kids want to keep them as long as possible!
I use packaging tape, but not all packaging tape works well! After much experimenting I have found that the best quality packaging tape for the kiddos' name tags is the Scotch Super-Strength for Heavy Packages. It is red and comes in a convenient little hand dispenser. It is a little pricey at $8.50 a roll but one roll will last me the whole year and then some (I would use it for 24 desks). I never had to laminate their name tags so it saved me lots of time on cutting things out. When it's time to peel off the name tags, it comes off clean as well. In order to keep my students from picking at their name tags I also used bribery!! I told them that if they still had their name tag in good condition by the end of the year I would give them a popsicle the last week of school. It was amazing how much those kids took care of their name tags :woot:
I actually bought the smaller ones last year (instead of the tents). It kept them nicer for most of the year- when I had the tents coming off the edge of the desk, they would get ruined. I also laminate =)
Haha, me too! I normally just tape them down reallly good (over the top too, so it's like it's laminated), but I like the idea of laminating and taping the back. I might try that this year! One of my teammates does the contact paper, and I didn't like it. I didn't have any of my nametags come off all year, but walking into her room, she only had about 6 left on the desks at the end of the school year. And she did have the nasty, sticky residue. So of course their desks were almost black by the end of the year! I hated having to go in there for anything, because anything I put down on a desk got sticky!
Good Morning! I really, really LOVE the plastic nametags I buy each year from Really Good Stuff. They're $30 for a package of 30. I know that $1 per nametag is really steep, but they save me SO much aggravation throughout the school year! They're plastic and self-adhesive... They're SO easy to put on. They come in Zaner-Bloser and D'Nelian and have different types for different grade levels. I have been pleased with them and this will be my 4th year using them! WELL WORTH THE PRICE! I do not replace them during the year!
I used packing tape, but they still pulled them off. Then I had them make their own(in October). I wrote their names in black marker on construction paper, they decorated them with marker.(ooooh markers!) We had a discussion about what was appropriate for decorations before they decorated them(no weapons, violence,blood, or gang signs, (and yes these first graders knew what gang signs were). I laminated them and they only came off from wear and tear after that.
When I do use them (usually only at beginning of year) I laminate them and them tape over them. Once they start peeling off, they are GONE!
I laminated them this year, and then used those little velcro circles to stick them to the desk. One circle right in the middle of the name tag was enough to keep it on the desk. It is hard enough to get off that the kids couldn't do it easily (you know how when you first get it, it is impossible to do?), but if you needed to move it, you could. Almost all of the kids had them at the end of the year and I never heard the annoying velcro sound. Obviously the corners aren't stuck down, but the name tag is still stuck on the desk. As the year went on, they could take them off as they needed to, but knew what was appropriate.
Don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but I have a friend who uses paint stick stirrers. She paints them solid and them does some cute designs (polka dots, etc.) then writes their name with a sharpie. She attaches them to the table with velcro. I know she has used them for years and loves it.
I laminate the name tags and then attach with velcro. It works really well and there is no picking. When I want to move seats (I have tables) the nametags come easily off. You can kind of see here http://zoerb.edublogs.org/files/2009/08/Classroom-2009-016.jpg
I've done contact paper in the past- Cut a rectangle a bit larger than your name tag and put OVER the entire tag, adhering it to the desk. Kids do end up peeling it, but it will last for a while. For the past few years I've laminated the tags...that seems to work the best. Then I use wide clear tape to tape them down. Even if the kids peel them up, the tag is still in good shape. The tags I order have cursive, a numberline and a few other 'resources' on them so the kids like keeping them on their desks.
I always laminate mine, then use hot glue and packaging tape. Some of them still come off from the destructive students. I think 2nd graders should do better. I usually change mine in January.
Laminating and Velcro is the way to go!!! My nametags lasted me the entire year (2 years in a row!) by using this method. I apply 2 strips of velcro, vertically, to the end of the nametag. I use tables and it's very easy to move students, and they hold up all year. No bribing, no nametag "training"-it just works! I've tried contact paper in the past and found it very annoying-annoying to apply, it had to be re-done multiple times, and it didn't last.
I laminate mine with the thickest lamination possible. I usually go to CopyWorks for that! Then I use hot glue!!! I love hot glue!!! They typically last through the year...if they pull them off they are gone until I have a chance to reattach them. That rarely happens! I have thought about the Velcro idea...I may try that this year!
Yep! Sometimes they are tough to get off, but I usually use a razor to get the glue off the tables/desks. It comes off really easy. I don't typically try to get the glue off the name tags unless it's hanging off! It can sometimes pull the lamination off!! Then I just glue them in a new spot!
I use hot glue a lot too, even for stuff on the walls (be careful though b/c it can peel paint sometimes). Usually I can just pull the dried glue right off--I've never had to use a razor.
