Vista Print Awesomeness

Last summer, I was poking around on ProTeacher, and I found a message board about the wonders of Vista Print! I already knew about VP because we actually printed our wedding Save the Date and invitations there. They are known for very reasonable prices and really great coupons. I hadn't used it since our wedding, which was 5 years ago, and I guess I was really out of touch with all of the updated products and fun ways to use their service in the classroom.

The best part was that I was able to score nearly everything for free. FREE! << I love that word.

It all started by creating a username and instantly getting a credit for something like 50 free post cards. Once I fulfilled that order, my mailbox was instantly crammed full with web coupons for free this and free that. Some things were really, really nice and not so cheap at first, but once I used my "free" credits, I was able to get the items for...well...free. FREE! << Did I mention I love that word?

So, how can Vista Print be useful to you in your classroom? First, I would recommend finding the Vista Print message boards on ProTeacher and starting there. Here is just once of the many boards dedicated to Vista Print. At first, I wasn't able to think outside the box and thought, "Why in the world would I need business cards in my classroom?" There are actually tons of uses for business cards in the classroom, as well as post cards, brochures, magnets, labels, and tons of other items.

Once you have plenty of ideas, head over to Vista Print and start playing around. If you can hold off until July 4, they usually have some pretty good sales around that time, too.

Last year, I made the following products for my class and really enjoyed using them this year. I felt more professional, and the kids really enjoyed getting something that was so well-made and creative.

Again, most, if not all of these products were free. It started with one or two things, and then each order generated more free merchandise. I plan to get back on there this summer and reorder many of the items I ordered last year, and I can't wait to think of some new things, too!

Flat invitation: Used as thank you notes for student gifts. These came with white envelopes.

Post card: Used as citizenship card. I put the citizenship grade for each week on the back of the card and sent it home every Friday. They were due back with a signature on Monday. I had one card for the first semester and another for the second semester. 

Business card: This was a reading challenge for my students.

Business card: Used for "catching" someone doing something good.

Mailing labels: Used as "sign and return" labels for important notes.

Business card: Used as a reward card for good behavior.

Round stickers: I have an annual book awards in my classroom, and these stickers mark the the covers of the winners.

Mailing labels: I used these to mark professional resource books.

Car magnet: This is actually pretty large; it hangs on my chalkboard to remind students of their behavior.

Post card: Used to give students and families the schedule for when they are Student of the Week.

Sticky notes: Students used these when reading the weekly basal story-- loved these and needed to order more!

Car magnet: For my mini economy, I used this to tell the kids that the bank was open.

Rack cards: These were given to each student to remind them of thinking stems while reading.

What kinds of things have you created on Vista Print? I am itching for some new ideas!