Storing Her Creations without Clutter

School is starting soon. I wish I was the organized person who used the end of the school year to organize things, but really, it is the start of a new school year that kicks me in to panic mode and makes me start organizing. I feel a need to get it under control before the papers starting pouring in weekly again. 

I've been writing about creativity, why it is important for kids, how to nurture it in kids, and today, what to do with their creations. Almost every creation is special--either because of the memory of when or how it was created, or because it represents a stage in their creativity. I say almost because sometimes my girls spend 2 minutes doodling and scribbling on a paper. They put little thought into it and even less effort. And my girls, even though it brought tears, have learned that anything done with minimal effort isn't very valuable. I sound like the Tiger Mom, but really, we don't do our kids favors if we praise everything they do. 

So all those creations? From 3 until ...... What is a sentimental mom, who fears being a pack rat, to do? My mom, bless her heart, saved much of my elementary art work in a box. She passed it on to me. Very sweet. But it wasn't even that interesting to look at. I doubt there time or technology to do much more than store art in a box when I was growing up. But now? There are options. And what about the creations that don't fit in a box? Once-in-lifetime-Lego models completed or forts that show off a budding engineer brain?

Here's my idea. I am hoping it is more fun than a box of old art. I take pictures. Of all quality (see paragraph 2) creations. I store the photos with date labels in folders on an online photo site (I use Snapfish but there are many others). And when the girls finish elementary school I plan to take all those pictures and put them in a photo book. I don't scrapbook, but I love the simple photo books you can make online. I make one each year to document what we did that year, and sometimes there are 500 pictures but the spine of that photo book? Not even 1/2 inch wide. Beautiful memories. Beautiful space saver.

Top: photo books and my attempt to show you how skinny they are. Bottom: One of Bird's preschool art projects and one of her 4th grade art projects that will eventually go in her elementary art book.

Bug's art gallery. It is in a stairwell so it is hard to photograph. 

I do have galleries on the wall full of the girls' most recent, hangable art. But when it is full, I take down the pictures and (don't gasp) throw them away. 

Art clothesline. Image from Cozi, see link below

One friend uses the clothesline method. She picks two of her favorites creations and lets her son pick two favorites. And when new work comes along that trumps old work in terms of favorites, the pictures switch. I love her method because when you, as the parent, save only the art you love, it increases the value. And when the kids decide what to save, it teaches them to make special places for prized accomplishments and that saving all our work does not add value to our lives. (Thanks to Simple Mom for sharing this philosophy).

If you need more ideas for your princesses creations, check out these sites:

• 14 ideas from Parent magazine
• 12 ideas from Cozi (Family Life. Simplified) (I love the Dynamic Art Frames, but need to save up for them.)

So what do you do with your kids' creations?  

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