How much of your kids school work do you keep?

lala1974

Hi Everyone,

I'm asking this question in the name of decluttering!

DD is 9 and DS is 6. They bring home little pictures that they've coloured in, paper clocks, collages etc.....this stuff sort of hangs around the house (drawers, next to microwave, in between files...).

I do put all the work that they bring home at the end of the year into a zip file and stash them in the loft but I wonder now if they'll ever be really looked at again.

My old stuff is still in Mum's loft, I doubt she's ever looked at them and I don't think they'd hold my interest for very long.

So, what do I do with it? Keep it somewhere or be brave, praise, put on the fridge for a week and then.........:eek: can't even bring myself to say it....?!

All advice would be valued!!!

Thanks everso in advance,

Lala

Justamum

I kept a lot of my eldest DD's paintings etc from when she was very small, but when I had a clearout I binned the lot. When they bring back school books at the end of the year I know the children are never going to look at their work again, so I rip out any unused paper to keep, then put the rest in the recycling. If they bring back any projects they've made, the children keep them in their rooms - I have nowhere to display them - and they get rid of them when they feel it's time. I don't want to have to keep carting unnecessary stuff around when we move (we rent so there's never any chance of long-term staying anywhere).

Chakani

What I do with my DS is take a good clear photo of any pictures (scribbles at the moment, he's only little), and keep them in a folder on my computer. I have a small area on the wall where his pictures go up, and when a new one goes up, an old one comes down and goes in the recycling.

That way we can keep the work until we feel it's no longer wanted, without the clutter. I've done this with teenagers that I've worked with as well, and they seem to like it as well, being able to flick through their old stuff if they want, but it not taking up space. It's easier to remember when things are done as well, and how old they were.

valk_scot

I keep the nicest of the craft bits but ordinary worksheets and maths jotters etc get shredded for compost. I always keep their writing jotters though, for the stories of the "My brother ate my hamster" type.

Owain_Moneysaver

One thing I wish I had kept was a project I did on the Queen's Silver Jubilee. We had a family friend who brought me loads of postcards from London - all those old postcards in mint condition (I remember mounting them with photo corners in the project album) are probably ebayable by now.

But when I left school all the old exercise books went on the fire with whoops of delight.

Owain_Moneysaver

I suppose if they turn out to be famous their jotters etc will be worth quite a bit too...

ubamother

I photograph them and throw unless it's something very heavy duty from a performance. My son thinks it's really special that his stuff was 'important enough' to take photos of - we keep them on the pc and he does like looking through them sometimes - especially from when he was much younger.

Ladyhawk

My mum never kept anything except my first ever school book. As a kid I did feel a little sad when I saw my friends art framed and put on the wall... but really it was only ever tat!

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I've got every bit of craft work my girls ever did.
Some like the pottery is always on show but the little cards and toilet roll snowmen and santas they did in their primary school are all in the loft.
They're all in their 30s with children of their own now but I still shed a little tear when I come across their childhood things.

midnightraven3

Mine are now teens

I started each of them a memory box, from the 1st scan
and kept all the important "bits" over the years, 1st shoes etc

when at nursery we put up all the art work in our kitchen, and at the end of term we kept all the best/funniest bits
once at school, again, kept the important bits, & certificates etc

you cannot keep everything, it just gets too much

we had the loft insulated recently, and we had to empty it
we had great fun reading their news books from aged 5

I dont remember us having a pet giraffe, but my then 5 year old daughter wrote frequently about it, and she was called Poppy:D(the giraffe not daughter)

HJandR

Hi there, just read this post with interest.. my DS is 4 and has been through nursery. I bought an A1 artist type folder from argos to keep artwork stuff in through the ages, but have to say that everything has ended up in it !!! it is bulging already and I have to say that I could not really identify a single thing from any of it !!! I am psyching myself up to a clear out.. but will need to broach this with him I guess, as he does delve in there now and again and will be upset when it disappears. But as you say, you cannot keep it all ... I realise this NOW !!! and this is on top of all the record type books from nursery and pre school charting E years stuff... it is never ending, and as you say, it rarely ever comes out again. I binned all my school books the other year when my mum cleared her loft, and I do not think she kept any of my pictures either !!! The memory box is a good idea, but also like the idea of photos - we will have a discussion later I guess !!!