Making a Laminated United States Map

I wanted the children to have a map that they can study  on their own in order to learn the names and locations of all the U.S. states.

Printable United States Map

So, I printed out a colorful map on one side of paper. I got my free printable labeled United States map from NationalAtlas.gov.  There are several to choose from under the "reference and outline maps of the U.S." link. I picked the one with bright colors, pictured below.

Blank United States Map

Then I printed a blank United States map from National Atlas on the other side of the paper. That way, the student can study the side with the names of the states and then flip the page over and test his memory.

After that I laminated the page using my laminator that I purchased a few years ago. I cannot say enough good things about my laminator. It was very affordable and it is still going strong after several years of use. Since I laminate quite a few of our school items, I purchase the laminating sheets in bulk. By taking this extra step my teaching tools usually last for all four of the children.

Different Uses
As I stated above, I think we'll use this mainly for the children to study the states on their own. We have a wall map that we use during school. But if we didn't have one then I'd definitely pull out this map and use it whenever a state is brought up so that the children could become familiar with the location. Also, as soon as I made the laminated map my 5 year old started sounding out the states on it. I hadn't even thought about using it that way.