Class art projects - what do you do with them?

C&K*s Mommie wrote: Excuse me for reposting something that may have been discussed before. Since Christian began school last week, each day she comes home with a project or two. We hang them on the fridge to show daddy when he gets home. He loves them too. Each day it is one or two things that she has colored or made in class. I love all of them but space will be getting short by the end of this year on the fridge if we keep at this pace. An unused space on a wall is dedicated to some of her first daycare art projects, and old photos, I can display more there, but I do not want the wall crowded.

My question is what do you do with the school art projects that are brought home? I was thinking of buying a photo album to display them in. So that when family comes over, and they are interested in what Christian has been doing we can easily show them. Also, at the end of the school year I can look back to see how far she has come.

Anyone have an creative ideas on what to do with all the art projects your child/ren do in class?

luvmykids replied: The photo album is a great idea, but for the ones I really love to look at and am not just keeping for posterity, I buy the clear acrylic box type frames and hang them on the wall, right now I'm doing the hall way. I didn't have anything on those walls and now I have groupings by each kids bedroom door of their finest "masterpieces".

kit_kats_mom replied: I scan the drawings and smaller paintings into my PC. I have an accordian file for the smaller things and whenever I need to send something to a family member, I pop one of them into the package.

Boo&BugsMom replied: I have two huge bins full of stuff that Tanner started making since he was a baby. I too am wondering what to do with it all. I usually don't keep the general coloring, unless it shows a milestone...like the first time Tanner stayed in the lines for a whole picture. I have some drawings he made of me, daddy, and him. Those were cute and had to keep those and label them. Pictures that show when he wrote his name for the first time I kept. I don't keep all art, but I do keep the cool stuff that I find unique. Or like I said, if it shows a milestone, then I keep it and label it with a date and what it was. Oh, and things that show the hand or footprints I keep.

luvmykids replied: Also laminating them in placemat size makes good gifts for grandparents

C&K*s Mommie replied: All of those ideas are great! I will do a little bit of all of them. The acrylic boxes for displaying, the scanning for long term storage, the packing away to recall at a later date, & the laminating of extra special ones for gifts. All these ideas are fabulous!

Thanks!

PrairieMom replied: It seems like The Boy only brings home stuff that is HUGE! We tape his favorites to his bedroom door, and swich them out when he brings home a new favorite. Grandma and grandpa get some too. I keep a few of my favorites, and the rest get tossed in the trash when he isn't looking.

Kaitlin'smom replied: I to need to clean out the HUGE stack I have, I have some of her paintings that I simply adore and want to frame them and hang but they are odd sizes. I am not sure I want to spend the extra money on custom frames. Would it be bad to fold them to fit in a more convential frame, that way its all still there?

luvmykids replied:
I don't think so, at least that way you can have them out instead of stacked away somewhere.

C&K*s Mommie replied: agree with Monica, about folding pics to make them smaller for smaller frames

kimberley replied: i am a total packrat and have a huge box of stuff the boys have made from daycare to present.. Jacob is going into grade 5!

i am going to do an art scrapbook eventually for each of them.

i even have a craft doll my little sis made me when she was 5yo and she is going to be 26 this year.

C&K*s Mommie replied: good idea! I would like to steal that idea too. Now the next hurdle is finishing something that I start. That could be something to pass down to them as they age. thanks Kimberley

ediep replied: I put the really cute ones in my scrapbook, and the rest I hang on the fridge, the inside of the front door, and the inside of teh garage door, then I put them in a photo album. I occasionally give some away to my paarents and MIL

mom21kid2dogs replied:
The frames I buy for Olivia's "art" are an odd size. They are 16X20 with no wood. They are flat acrylic frames I buy at Big Lots for $5.99. I keep 4 of them on the wall across from the bed and recycle them often. They just fasten together with clips and hold up really well. We keep some and others we stick into thank you notes. I have a box a year of stored things. I keep any thing "outstanding" in there. The rest goes into file 5 on trash day so she doesn't know they are in there.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I have them in the playroom, clipped to a string that goes on the wall. There's room for TONS and TONS of them. And when there's no more room, I can add a second string under the first one.

And like Cary... I pop one into packages to family members, especially around Christmas time.

jcc64 replied: I was very diligent when my oldest was young- I kept everything. But as the years wore on, I quickly realized that I could easily fill an entire room with the boxes of projects. Living in an old house w/o a basement, garage, attic, or much closet space, something has to be really special to avoid a final resting place in the trash can. I think one small pile per year per child is enough to satisfy my sentimental streak. Bad mommy, I know.

gabriella replied: I loved reading through all your ideas on this one and I'm going to pinch a few. My son isn't even at school yet but I cannot wait until he starts creating art work to put into a sketchbook. The bigger the better. A3 is my favourite size to work in I'm an art teacher, so I'd probably give him a project from his already finished pieces on how best to present them on a double page

Gabriella x