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WHAT TO DO WITH ARTWORK AND OTHER SCHOOL "STUFF" KIDS BRING HOME

When young children begin school, it’s inevitable that they will begin bringing home many "master-pieces." From the toddler’s first proud easel paintings to the kindergartner’s holiday gifts to the carefully executed projects assigned to elementary schoolers, parents are inundated for years with mountains of paper coming home in school backpacks. Most children consider just about everything they produce to be a "treasure," but there are few families with enough storage space to keep every painting, drawing and school project that makes its way home. The question is, then, how can parents organize all of the artwork and other "stuff?" How can they treasure what is important and gently dispose of that which is not, without hurting young feelings? Parents tell of sneaking a bundle out to the trash after bedtime, only to have it discovered by their child the next morning! What’s a conscientious parent to do? Here are some ideas:

Create a family art gallery in your home. On the fridge or somewhere in the kitchen is a popular location for children’s art displays, but you might consider other locations, which are visible to family members, but not in the more "public" areas of the house, such as in an upstairs hallway, down the back stairs, or on the stairs to the basement . Rotate the pictures on a regular basis. Consider purchasing some inexpensive plastic or glass frames. These can be hung in the hallway or room you’ve designated as your family gallery and then new pictures can be slipped in and out of these frames easily.

Regularly send pictures to grandparents (if Grandma disposes of some pictures, your child will never know!). Use the back of artwork to write letters to family members.

Make pictures into instant placemats by covering with clear Contac paper or laminating.

Plexiglas boxes are a wonderful way to display ceramic and other three-dimensional art work. They make these items look like museum pieces!

A common problem is finding an appropriate place to store artwork, which is often oversized, and therefore, doesn’t fit into standard-sized drawers. Try large plastic boxes (available from The Container Store); old suitcases; or a large artist’s portfolio (inexpensive ones are available in heavy cardboard or plastic). Any of these could be laid flat under a child’s bed. One family reported storing artwork in an old sheet music stand. Another designated a low drawer in the kitchen for each child‘s work. A third stored pictures in dresser drawers in the rarely-used guest room.

Another idea is to collect everything that your child wants to keep during a school year. At the end of the year, ask your child to choose a limited number of items (perhaps five or 10) to keep permanently. By postponing having to choose until the end of the year, your child may not be as attached to projects created months ago and may be more willing to keep only the most important items and discard the rest.

Take photos of work you want to remember, but can’t store. Or make the latest technology work for you. Scan or photograph with a digital camera the artwork you want to save. These images are easily stored on your computer’s disk drive or on a high density, removable floppy disk, allowing your child to "visit" them anytime. Also, they can be e-mailed to grandparents at the click of a button.

Children become attached to their artwork, but what is probably more important to them is knowing that you, as a parent, value it. Using some of these ideas, you’ll show your children that you care, but, without having your house overrun with your kids’ "stuff."