What do you do with all their craft projects from school?

[kamilla626]

When dd draws or paints a really amazing picture (as opposed to a quick doodle in the back of an envelope), I try to file it away.

But what do you do with "rainsticks" made out of papertowel rolls, puppets made out of paper lunch bags, caterpillars made out of pompoms or egg cartons, tamborines made from paperplates and seeds, etc.

They aren't flat, so I can't just stack them in a box. Dd doesn't really play with them. She'd be crushed if she knew if I just threw them away, and she'd wonder where they were if I just put them in a box in the attic (yeah - with all that extra room we have! )

What do you do?

[2GR8KIDS]

I keep them around for a short while, then take a photo and toss them.

[fiesta'smom]

Originally Posted by 2GR8KIDS

I keep them around for a short while, then take a photo and toss them.

I like this idea! Maybe you could even get her her very own inexpensive photo album to keep the photos in.

We also used to take a three ring binder and some slip in poly protectors (acid free) and just slide in the art work (for the flat ones). For the oversized ones, I picked up an artist's portfolio for my granddaughter at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon for her birthday, and she likes that. It's still only good for the "flat" art of course!

[kamilla626]

I like the photo idea. I can't believe I didn't think of doing that!

A big artist's portfolio would come in handy too.

Thank you both!

[LisainCalifornia]

I have figured out something that works really well.

I bought one of those tower of rubbermaid style drawers (it has like 3 big, deep drawers, and 2 little ones at the top). It can fit lots of stuff in it. I put it in my closet, and when the kids show me what they have made and I can tell they are really proud of it, I tell them "I want to save that one--put it in my special mama drawers!" and they happily run off and put it in there themselves.

This takes care of the issue for me, and they love knowing that it is there where it won't get lost.

Many of their items I quietly put into the recycling bin, but if they come to me and seem like it is very important to me, then I tell them to put it in our saving place, and this solves the issue. Sometimes there are things that I choose to put in there too--things I love that they make--like mother's day cards or special items. It gives me one spot to go to, rather than storing it all over the house.

[cupofjojo]

I'm going to adopt what my sister used to do. She would get 2 big 30 gallon plastic totes.

One she would keep for each school year and all projects for the first 1/2 of the year everything would go in it. Over Christmas break they went through it and kept 10 things. She took pictures of other things she liked, and if there was something really worth keeping she would put it aside to use in a scrapbook or display later in life.

She'd do the same for the 2nd 1/2 of the year and at the end of the school year again keep 10 things. The 2nd tote is where she'd keep all the years collectively. At the end of elementary school it was fun to watch her and her DS's go through their totes and the memories each year of projects brought back.