This one's an EASY one . . . but will keep you
from getting burried in the soon to be coming,
ever abundant school papers!
It's called a
Kids Keepsake Box!
This is what Curtis' box looked like at the end of last year.
We were able to weed it down to less than half of what you see.
All you need to make this SANITY SAVING Box is:
1 Sweater Tote and a Label.
This box will be used throughout the school year.
Art Projects, Assignments, and Pictures can be
collected in the box throughout the year.
The Keepsake Boxes can be stored under the bed,
on a shelf in the closet, in a locker at home, or in a cupboard.
Here are a few of the rules I set for myself when I was
trying to decide what to keep and what to let go.
#1:
If the paper is just a fill-in-the-blank assignment,
or an assignment that will produce the same results for
every child in the class,
LET IT GO!
#2:
If the artwork is too large to fit into an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet protector,
take a picture of your child holding the giant piece of artwork,
and then . . . LET IT GO!
Adding their cute smiles to their artwork will
make it priceless!
#3:
If you have more papers than will fit into the sweater box,
LET SOME OF THEM GO!
When my boys were little, they wanted to keep EVERY paper,
EVERY assignment, and EVERY piece of artwork
they ever did. I let them keep as many as they wanted
until the end of the year (or until the box was full)
and then I had them choose their favorites.
It only takes a little while for too many school papers
to go from being a treasure to a pile of paper clutter.
Give them a place and then set limits!
#4:
If it tells a story about who they are, or shows their personality
on paper . . . it's a keeper for sure!
They say, "A picture is worth a thousand words" . . . UNLESS
it's an original story written by your child.
I love to read the stories my children have written.
They make me laugh, cry, and most of all REMEMBER.
These are the pages you'll actually read again and again.
Pages like these help you to remember what they were interested
in at the time, and the best part of all, it lets you see their personality!
So if it tells a story . . .
KEEP IT!
#5:
Artwork makes great stationary for letters to
Grandparents, Missionaries, and Friends.
Have your kids write letters on the back and
SEND THEM ON THEIR WAY!
Grandma and Grandpa will love these masterpieces!
The rest of the pages can be added to your child's scrapbook
at the end of every year!
Get ready . . . It's almost time!
The paper will be here before you know it!!!
Great minds think alike. I Do this also. But every six months we put everything in page protectors and then in a 3 inch Binder with there name and grade on the side. Then on the front I put there school grade and teacher for that year.
ReplyDeleteI hope this helps someone.
I have been doing something similar for years.
ReplyDeleteInstead of a big box. I have a hanging file for each child labeled with their name and grade in a drawer in my filing cabinet. At the end of the school year I put those haning files in their own plastic hanging file boxes that I keep in the top of my closet. I only have to get down the boxes once a year.
My girls are ballerinas, so I also keep a hanging file for each of them just for ballet stuff. (recital & nutcracker programs, class photos, certificates etc...) I really like having the ballet stuff all together rather than spread out over the school years.
I also have good solution for artwork. We have a red wall in our family room with empty fancy frames (gold.) The kids are responsible for the rotating art exhibit. They are usually ready to let go of the old when there is something new to put up.