I'm just curious as to what everyone does with thier childrens masterpieces? Do you save everything, or do you pick and choose? What about the bigger more creative inventions they come up with? Obviously some things get displayed, but throwing anything they've made away is next to immpossible for me, but I'm thinking maybe you don't have to keep everything. What do you think/do?
WOW! Thanks everyone for all the responses! Shelly R. I have 2 children, 7 and 3.5, and your right, there's just not room for everything! There are some great ideas on here, I will still look forward to any more post :)
I have three kids, two of which are in school. It is impossible to keep everything they make. They just make too much to do that. I pick and choose what I keep. I may display some of it for awhile. I put the artwork I want to keep in plastic storage container for each kid in my attic. I think it will be fun for them to look at their own artwork when they are grown.
I used some of the masterpieces as wrapping paper for Christmas this year! It looked beautiful under my tree!
I take a picture of everything, that way we will always have it. Some things get tossed not to long after they get home, but if she loves it we keep it. Some things stay on the fridge or mantel for a while, and the special things that I really love stay in a large tupperware box under the bed. But they all get their photo taken and are kept in a file on my laptop.
Good luck!
I pretty much save everything-except for coloring book pages-lol. I love it when my kids do crafts or art-- I have a large file box that I store things in once they have been on display for awhile.
M
One of my friends has 7 children and has 2 large file cabinets in her office. Each child has their own drawer. She saves everything and they so enjoy going in and sitting and looking at all their old stuff.
My son is only in pre K but we have I pizza box of art from last year and a few not flat projects. It is nice to frame or display a few favorites. But not every single scribble.
the same thing you do with leftovers! age them until you can bear to toss 'em.
:) khairete
S.
If it is on regular-size paper I put a few "samples" in a file (each kid has one). I haven't decided on crafty things yet since they don't have a lot. I have taken photos of some that I thought looked pretty neat so I could preserve them that way and I've thought of making a photo collage. I used to use bits of kids' crafts to accent cards for people, like cut part of a painting and have them glue it to the front of card stock for the "art." It is easier than last-minute crayon scribbles five minutes before bedtime on a card for grandparents. :)
I am not overly attached to keeping everything because I keep tossing stuff my mom sends me that she kept (I don't want it--just a few "key" things and the rest is so hideous I could care less), so I like a few examples or special projects, display everything in my kitchen until I can't fit more, then start weeding.
I have 3 kids and there is no way you can possibly save everything! I have scrapbooks from when they were about 2-4 with crafts and drawings. I take pictures of some stuff, but once they are in school and you save a few things from each year and some crafts/colorings they do at home, it quickly adds up to a lot of stuff, along with special blankets, articles of clothing etc.I try to display or put on the fridge for a week or two, depending on how fast they do something new, save a few things, take pictures but most just gets thrown out. Mine are now 16,13 and 8, so I will ask what they would like to save, but since they feel insulted I am throwing out what they made, I try to just sneak most if it into the garbage. How old are your children, so you have more than one? Over time, you will realize that you simply can't keep everything as much as we moms would like.
I display everything that comes home from school for a week, then it all comes down and goes in the recycling. Holiday crafts stay up for the whole holiday then all but one or 2 things go to recycyling. I keep a few things for each of y children over the course of a school year (max of 5) and put them in the photoalbum to save. My mother saved everything my brothers and I (4 kids total) ever made in school - through high school. When I was 26, they sold the house we grew up in and had to contend with tons of paper. We were all asked if we wanted to keep anything, and none of us did. They ended up sorting through and throwing away dozens of bags of paper - in addition to having to sort and pack everything they accumulated in that time. Not fun.
Good luck!
I have been scanning them. I figured I could have a book printed up of all the art. I'll still have it for all eternity without losing all that space.
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I have been scanning them. I figured I could have a book printed up of all the art. I'll still have it for all eternity without losing all that space.
I have displayed my daughters art on her mirror closet doors with scotch tape. It is time to rotate them out, but I do throw out plenty of pieces because there are sooooo many.
I only keep artwork that contains an actual picture of them, or was made using their fingers, hands, or feet. Everything else gets divided up and mailed to my parents, my divorced in-laws, 2 sets of grand-parents, my 2 sister in-laws (they don't have kids), and occasionally 1 of my uncles (no children of his own). It makes for only about 4-5 pieces from each of my 2 children going out to family. I include a little note for them to enjoy, keep what they want, and pitch the rest.
So far I've kept everything. My dad's building me a steamer trunk (love the look of em) and I'm going to put all her stuff in there. I haven't been able to throw anything away except if she tears it to pieces (she is 2 lol). I want her to be all excited to look through stuff when she's 20 or so. I was excited to look through stuff my parents kept, which wasn't hardly anything actually lol. I also keep a TON of pics organized in different folders with her age or the month date on a USB from the time she was born and a special folder that says FOR my daughter with pics of her dad since she never sees him and he doesn't really have anything to do with her.
We painted easter eggs this past easter and I didn't keep the egg because it was a real egg but I did take pics... this year I'll probably buy ceramic eggs from oriental trading.
I display them for awhile on the fridge or door if it is a craft I keep them. We have a handful of ornaments, magnets, picture frames, a few signs, etc
I've kept my daughter's art in medium and large size pockets that I found at an art supply store. They're made of heavy paper and have a string clasp. A large plastic container would work too but the pockets take up less room.
I framed a couple of her drawings and a couple of my granddaughter's drawings and have them hanging on my walls.
I started out saving everything but had to quit doing so. I'm a pack rat and my basement is full. lol
It would be neat to either scan them, get them scanned, or take pictures of them. Then you can get books made from shutterfly, kodak, or even walgreens and CVS makes them. (Hardcover and soft-cover) This way you'll always have something to remember them with, but don't necessarily have to keep them around...
I also take pics of them and keep only the really special stuff. The ones I take pics of, I later put into photoalbums on shutterfly,com. Hope this helps. Oprah had a show that suggested doing this.
