Archiving Children's School Stuff

If you mean saving them, I immediately write the date on the back of each project. You might think you'll remember but you won't! Also, write any details you think you might want to remember, like her teacher's name and grade.

I purchased a large scrapbook and I just pop the project (if it's a drawing or artwork) in the scrapbook. If it's a big project I take a picture of her with it because you certainly can't keep all the big projects forever!

She will love looking back at all her projects when she grows up. Taking a picture of her holding it also adds to the memory--you know what she looked like when she brought it home. :)

My daughter is bringing home several papers a day now. We can't possibly keep everything!! I'm thinking about starting to take a picture of everything, and then toss the original. Except keep a few special ones.

My mom kept some things from when I was little, and what are we doing with them? Nothing. They sit in a box in a closet. With pictures, they will be date/time stamped, and I can just keep them on a hard drive :)

I take a picture of each project and honestly recycle most of them. I keep the ones that are really special like handprints and stuff like that, but usually hang them up for a while and then get rid of them while she's not looking.

I have the pictures all in one file on my computer and eventually I'm going to transfer them all to a picture website (Snapfish or Shutterfly) and make a photo book with them. They are cute to look at for sure and I'm sure she would love a scrap book of them in the future, but sometimes I just have to purge to feel better about my housekeeping skills, so a picture book of her art is just fine for me! ;) Do what works for you though, the scrap book idea is cute too.

Plastic bin boxes. And date the boxes by year/grade etc.
Put the dates on the back of anything they bring home/projects etc.
Take photos of it.... for the one's you don't keep.

This is only the beginning! Once they start school, they will bring home TONS more stuff. So you need to decide, what you will keep or not. It really accumulates...

Now that my daughter is older, and in 3rd grade... I have a file cabinet for HER. Then, when she brings home stuff from school, I look it over, then I give it back to her in her own "in-box" and then she 'files' it in her hanging file folders... in her own file cabinet. Per grade. Each year. THUS, I am 'teaching' her organization, and filing skills, and she will then know, about how to keep her desk... and organize things in her files. I label the file tabs for her. Then she knows where to put her papers/stuff from school. This then also, alleviates all the stuff that accumulates on MY desk... that she brings home from school. And, she is 'proud' that she has her 'own' file cabinet, to put her school papers in and feels like a big responsible girl.

A file cabinet, is also a good thing to have, to put their school stuff in. I file things per year/per grade level. And date it.

all the best,
Susan

Find a small area where you can display her items. Perhaps a shelf and a small area on a wall, or a door. Then that's it. If it doesn't fit in that area, take pictures of it, and then throw it in the trash. Of course there will always be a special item or two that you'll want to save, purchase a rubbermaid bin for those.

I have a basket for each of my kids and everyday I look through all their papers (homework, artwork, handouts, etc.) and then put them in their basket. If I need to access anything (homework to study for a test, a handout I thought we didn't need), it's all right there, all year.

At the end of the year - when my kids are out of the house for a few hours- I go through each basket and pull out about 5% of the items to save. I usually pull out special projects, notes to my child from the teacher, schoolwork representative of their skills/their year, special art projects, etc. I have a small box for each kid for each year in our storage room. The really great art projects I scan and turn into a personalized gallery print that I frame and hang in our house and/or give as a gift. I also do this as a side business and it seems to be a popular way to keep those special masterpieces forever!

Other artwork items that don't need to be kept are perfect 'gifts' to mail to far away grandparents or other familiy members, or even just elderly friends to brighten their day!