Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, better known as STEM, education is an integral part of modern education. It prepares children to be future leaders, equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in a rapidly evolving technological world. 

While standard STEM lessons might not be overly entertaining for the students, they don’t have to be boring. An abundant array of STEM activities can spice up your classroom, captivating your students’ attention and teaching them lessons that will stick with them through the years. Here are a few classroom STEM activities we love. 

Make Homemade Slime

The gooey, slippery substance that is slime is a favorite among elementary students. It’s an excellent way to incorporate a sensory element to help keep students engaged and focused during lessons on how different ingredients interact and the chemical reactions that take place. 

You can make a large batch of slime ahead of time if time and supplies allow, only making a small batch in class to demonstrate how everything reacts. Or, if supplies are limited, make a small batch in class and pass the finished product around to your students to let them feel the texture and consistency to solidify your lesson. 

To make the slime, combine ½ cup of each water and glue in a mixing bowl. If you want to add color, add a few drops of food coloring at this point and stir it in. Mix in ½ teaspoon of baking soda, then pour in 2 tablespoons of contact lens solution. Stir the mixture until it pulls away from the edge of the bowl. The final product is not a liquid or a solid, often called a non-Newtonian fluid.

Build a Lemon Battery

Teach your students about a battery’s functions by using lemons’ power. You’ll need a few materials to get started, including:

• Four lemons
• Zinc covered nails
• Copper wire
• Alligator clips
• LED light

To power the light bulb, start by inserting the zinc-covered nail and copper wire into each of the lemons. The nail functions as the negative end, while the copper wire performs as the positive side. Once you have a piece of wire and a nail in each lemon, connect them with alligator clips in a copper-to-zinc pattern.  

To light the bulb, connect the copper side to the longer, positive side of the bulb and the zinc nail side to the shorter, negative end of the bulb. And, tada! You have light! 

Craft a DIY Lava Lamp

Learning about density doesn’t have to be boring. Spice up your lessons with a quick DIY lava lamp experiment to give students a real-life example of different fluids’ varying densities. Here’s what you’ll need:

• A clear glass or water bottle
• Water
• Vegetable oil
• Alka-seltzer
• Food coloring

Fill the cup halfway with vegetable oil, then pour water into the glass until it’s about ¾ of the way full. Next, add a few drops of food coloring. Feel free to add multiple colors to make an intriguing color combination. 

Open your seltzer tablets and drop them in the cup. Break the tablet into pieces to slow the reaction, and add it in small parts at a time. Watch the bubbles rise and cause the colored water to move through the oil before dropping back down to the bottom. 

Make a Magnet Maze

Learn about the properties of magnets using this fun activity, which involves a few magnets and a DIY maze. The simplicity of this activity makes it a perfect pick for younger children. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Cardboard or paper plates
• Magnets 
• Paperclips
• Crayons, colored pencils, or markers

Draw a maze on a piece of cardboard or paper plate, complete with a starting and ending point. Once you’re done, position a paperclip at the starting point and place the magnet behind it to hold it in place. 

As you talk about magnetic fields, showcase the magnet’s power by moving the paperclip through the maze. Reiterate that you’re not actually touching the paperclip – instead, the magnetic force grasps and maneuvers it through the maze. If you have varying strengths of magnets, you can demonstrate how the more powerful magnets can hold heavier objects or pull the paperclip from further distances. 

Make a Paper Helicopter

Teach your students about the challenges of air pressure and lift by having them craft paper helicopters. NASA offers a downloadable template of its Mars helicopter, which makes for an entertaining activity to learn more about air pressure and lift. 

Have your students carefully cut and fold the template as you teach them about factors impacting the helicopter. When they’re done, have them complete test flights and observe how the performance changes by adjusting various factors, like the height at which you drop it. 

Get Creative STEM Activities for Your Students

Need more inspiration for fun STEM activities at different levels, complete with the lesson plans? If you want to dive into the intriguing world of STEM activities and how beneficial they can be for your students, our STEMvelope might be the perfect addition to your classroom. It’s adaptable and adjustable, featuring hands-on printable STEM activities to engage your students with fun learning. 

Make tweaks along the way to keep your STEMvelope fresh and ready for your new year of students, even if you decide to teach a different grade. It works well for students ranging from 1st to 6th grade, so it can grow with you as you move to teach different grades. 

Ready to kickstart an entertaining, collaborative, and interactive learning experience for your students with STEM classroom activities? Contact us today to get started!

If you want to spice up your teaching game with fun lesson tools or decorate your classroom with a personalized touch, custom magnets made with printable magnet material might just be what you need! This flexible and thin material is compatible with various types of printers, making it an excellent (and affordable) way to create personalized magnets with beautiful designs. 

It’s quick and easy, only requiring a few steps to create stunning magnets. Here, we’ll explore the steps involved in the process to help kickstart your magnet-making journey. We’ll even share a few of our favorite ideas for using custom magnets in the classroom. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

What is Printable Magnet Material?

Printable magnet material is a thin, flexible material that can go through certain types of printers. While noticeably thicker than paper, it’s still thin enough to pass through a standard inkjet printer and exit with a beautiful design. 

It’s flexible, so it has no issues passing through the internal mechanisms of a printer. It’s solid black on one side – this is the magnet side. The other side features a white coating that can be glossy or matte – this is the side you print your designs on. 

Using this material, making custom magnets without a complicated, drawn-out process is simple. It only takes a few steps to start creating personalized designs that perfectly match your magnet-making needs. 

How to Make Custom Magnets With Printable Magnet Material

Making custom magnets with your printable magnet material is straightforward. However, you’ll need to avoid using excessive heat on the material, as most sheet materials of this kind can only handle temperatures of up to 70 degrees. 

Due to these restrictions, it’s best to print your designs on the material using an inkjet printer. Laser printers get far too hot for the material, so you can’t use them for printing magnets. 

Choose Your Designs

The first step is one of the most exciting parts of the process. In this step, you’ll choose what designs you want to print on your magnets. Choose high-quality photos with solid resolution to ensure a crisp, clean finish. 

Arrange the images in a Word document, Google document, or similar document, ensuring there’s plenty of room between each design for cutting clearance. If the designs are too close, you may have a tough time cutting around one design without accidentally cutting the one next to it. So, be sure to leave enough room for easy cutting. 

Adjust the Settings for Your Printer

Before you begin printing, you’ll need to tweak the settings on your printer. This process will vary based on the type of printer you have. Ensure you select “Glossy” for the paper type if your magnet material is shiny. 

Verify that the printer is set to one-sided, as a double-sided print won’t work well. If your printable magnet material comes in a continuous roll, cut it into sheets in a size your printer can handle. 

Add the Material to the Printer

Once the settings are correct and you’re ready to start printing, add the printable magnet material to your printer. 

Pay attention to how your printer takes the paper. Ensure you place the magnet material to print on the white side. If your printer prints on the underside of the paper you put in it, make sure you add the magnet material upside down. 

It’s best to load one sheet at a time so you don’t overload the printer or risk smudging the final product. 

Start Printing

Once your designs are ready, the settings are all set, and you’ve loaded the material, it’s time to print! Before you print the entirety of your designs or bulk orders, test print one simple design using the current settings. If the print comes out poorly, tweak the settings as necessary to achieve a crisp, clean result. 

After you get a beautiful initial print, start printing the rest of your magnets. 

Cut the Magnets to Size

Your last step is to trim the magnets to size. Cut off the excess surrounding each design, trimming as necessary to achieve the desired result. This process should be a breeze if you leave enough space between each design!

Your magnets are ready to use once you finish wrapping up the trimming process!

Fun Custom Magnet Ideas for Your Classroom

The sky is the limit when crafting custom magnets for your classroom. Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

• Sight word tray: Print various words on a magnet sheet and place the cut-out word squares on a cookie sheet. Have your students create sentences, find specific words, and similar tasks by arranging the words on the cookie tray. 
• Gifts: Need a creative way to help your students craft personalized gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and other holidays? Let them create a custom design and print it onto a magnet for a cute, personalized gift. 
• Decorations: Use the magnets to decorate lockers, doors, and other metal materials throughout your classroom and create a space that sparkles with unique flair. 

Craft Your Own Custom Magnets With Printable Magnet Material

Gone are the days of boring magnets with generic designs. Now, you can make custom magnets with little to no effort – all it takes is a few simple steps to choose the perfect design and transfer it to a piece of printable magnet material!

They’re incredibly versatile, working perfectly for creative classroom fun, decorations, and cute custom gifts. Whether you want to use your custom magnets for educational purposes or to add a splash of spice to your classroom’s decor, the possibilities are endless. 

Ready to get started making your own custom magnets? Try our printable magnet material from our arsenal of educational supplies at AGC Education. Contact us today to learn more about our printable magnet material and how it can help you create beautiful, custom magnets!

Posters can be a fun way to liven your classroom with personalized decor. You can incorporate motivational sayings, helpful tips and tricks for various lessons, or reminders to keep your students on track. But before you can adorn your classroom with well-designed posters, you’ll need to print them. 

There are a couple of options for printing your posters, each dependent on your preferences and budget. Here, we’ll explore where to print posters for your classroom. 

Step 1: Design a Classroom Poster That Pops

A great classroom poster starts with a thoughtful design. Before you think about printing, it’s worth taking a few minutes to plan your layout, color choices, and message.

Most teachers design posters in online tools like Canva, Adobe Express, or PosterMyWall. These platforms make it easy to drag and drop elements, adjust colors, and start from templates made for education.

When you create your design, start with the right size. For standard classroom displays, a 24” x 36” poster (in portrait or landscape) offers strong visibility without overwhelming wall space. Once you’ve designed your poster, export it as a high-resolution pdf file.

If you need a place to start, consider using one of our classroom poster templates. They can be printed as is, or customized to fit your classroom needs.

Step 2: Choose Where to Print Your Classroom Posters

Once your design is ready, the next step is deciding where to bring it to life. The right printing option depends on your budget, timeline, and how often you plan to print. Below, we break down the most common approaches teachers use to create high-quality classroom posters.

Option 1: Print Posters Online (Best for Small Quantities)

Online printing services are convenient and beginner-friendly, making them a popular choice for teachers who need just a few posters. Websites like Vistaprint, FedEx Office, and Staples let you upload your design, choose your size, and place an order from your desk.

This option works well for one-off classroom posters, small projects, or gifts, but it’s less ideal for schools that print regularly.

Option Two: Print Locally (Best for Rush Orders or Oversized Projects)

Your nearby print shop can be a great resource, especially if you need larger posters, laminated finishes, or same-day turnaround. Local shops often provide hands-on support and may assist with file formatting or color adjustments to ensure your poster looks professional.

Local print shops are perfect for occasional, high-quality poster prints, but ongoing printing needs can become expensive and time-consuming.

Option 3: Print Posters at School (Best for Frequent Use and Budget Savings)

For schools that need regular posters for classrooms, hallways, or events, investing in a school poster printer is often the smartest choice. In-house printing allows teachers to create posters anytime without extra shipping or service fees, and the initial investment pays off over time.

Why Schools Are Investing in Poster Printers

Many schools are choosing in-house poster printers to cut costs, save time, and empower teachers. Instead of paying $10–$25 per print online, a school can invest in one printer that can produce posters for years. Teachers can quickly print seasonal displays, motivational posters, or student work without waiting for shipping or worrying about external print costs.

Poster Printing Cost Comparison

Before you invest in classroom printing, it’s helpful to understand how each option compares in cost and convenience. This poster printing cost comparison chart breaks down the estimated price to print a 24” x 36” classroom poster, along with important notes about materials, print providers, and long-term value. Actual prices may vary depending on your paper type, finish, and location.

Method	Cost Per Poster	Other Considerations	Best For
Online Print Services	$30 – $35	Shipping speed and cost, limited customization	Small quantities, one-time projects
Local Print Shops	$10 – $20	Travel, turnaround time	Oversized projects and local support
School Poster Printer	$1.50 – $4.50	Convenience, long-term savings	Everyday printing and easy access for teachers

The Smart Way Schools Print Posters Today

Forward-thinking schools are moving away from the hassle and expense of outsourcing. Instead of paying per print job or waiting on a local shop, many are investing in school poster printers that make it easy to create high-quality visuals on demand.

Why Schools Choose the Educator Plus Poster Printer

With an Educator Plus Poster Printer, schools aren’t just saving money — they’re gaining flexibility. Teachers can print whenever inspiration strikes, whether it’s for a new SEL initiative or a last-minute event. There’s no minimum order, no shipping delay, and no waiting on someone else’s timeline.

Administrators also love the budget transparency: instead of unpredictable per-print fees, the investment in a school printer pays for itself after just a few dozen posters. Over time, it’s one of the most cost-effective and empowering tools a school can own.

AGC Education offers three models designed specifically for K–12 environments:

• Educator Plus Standard Poster Printer —The perfect balance of speed, size, and simplicity.
• Educator Plus Vivid Poster Printer — For schools wanting bright colors and versatility.
• Educator Plus Pro Poster Printer — Built for high-volume or district-level printing needs.

How AGC Education Helps Schools Succeed

Choosing the right printer is only part of the solution. What makes AGC different is how we partner with schools long after installation. Every Educator Plus Poster Printer includes access to exclusive educator support tools designed to help teachers and staff get the most from their equipment:

• Personalized Training – Every school receives live, hands-on training tailored to its staff, curriculum goals, and technology setup. We make sure your team feels confident using the printer from day one.
• On-Demand Support – Need help with setup, troubleshooting, or creative projects? Our U.S.-based support team is always available by phone or email to assist when you need it most.
• Specialty Projects – Go beyond posters! We’ll help you create custom banners, stickers, magnets, window clings, t-shirts, and more using specialty materials and easy-to-follow project guides.
• EmpowR Academy – Tap into professional development modules and tutorials that show educators how to integrate printing into PBIS, SEL, CTE, and academic programs.
• Resource Library & Ongoing Updates – We continually add new templates, guides, and project ideas, so your school’s investment keeps delivering value year after year.

Frequently Asked Questions About Classroom Poster Printing

Teacher Resources for Classroom Printing and Posters

Looking for ways to make classroom printing easier and more impactful? Explore teacher resources for classroom posters, templates, and specialty projects that help you create engaging visuals, save time, and bring learning to life — all in-house.