Every parent knows schoolwork and art projects can accumulate at an alarming rate, and the more sentimental among us have a difficult time discarding the smallest bit of paper that reminds us of our little scholar or artist. The task of organizing all of those spelling tests, impressionist landscape paintings and science fair projects is an easy one to keep putting off until another day, and before you know it another school year is behind you and another pile of paper is tottering above you. But have no fear, here are a few A+ tips on how to keep all of that schoolwork organized.
• Before you get started, read this bit of tough love from Peter Walsh at momready.
• There is a video over at Real Simple detailing an easy solution using plastic storage bins.
• Martha Stewart has a couple of good ideas for storing artwork, including using mailing tubes for large pieces and turning multiple smaller pieces into a collage.
• The gold star definitely goes to Jen at IHeart Organizing, an organizer extraordinaire who has designed a good-looking hanging file system (pictured above) that will handle your child's K-8 career. Her site includes free downloads of labels and coversheets for your folders and plenty of photos for inspiration.
(Image: Jen at IHeart Organizing)
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The Peter Walsh article is great and so is the storage idea here. I remember my parents had a large manila folder for each of my siblings and special awards and things would go in there. Its still in a cabinet somewhere (I think it stopped getting updated come middle school or so!) But I remember loving to lay on the floor and go through all the awards and things I received in previous years, old graduation certificates, etc. Artwork and 3D projects and things they tried to say but, as my mom told me as an adult, if you ever move out of the house you lived in when it was made, there's a good chance its going in the trash. Moving is hard enough let alone moving and having to find boxes and space for the volcano your kid made in 2nd grade 10 years before.
Great links to some wonderful organizational tips.
"Best Of" article is a great way to do the summarizing work for us readers without "lifting" just one article.
Would love to see more around various topics:)
My mother used to keep all my art projects from school and at the end of each year she would set them all up in display on the kitchen table, couch, or backyard, etc. I would sit down in the center of them all and she would take my photo. This allowed her to get rid of what she wished without guilt, and only keep a small 4X6 photo of all the work. Not only did it capture the art work but it captured me at the age when I completed these "masterpieces". Looking back now I am happy to see myself as well as the art work. The younger version of me is very proud of the work in all the photos. All the photos could easily be stored in a photo album that is much more compact than all the various sized construction paper.
Typo! If you go to the iHeart Web site you'll see the folders go up through high school. So, "K-12 career," not through 8.