Kids School Work

[CamColt]

How much of it do you save? I have 2 DSs and the oldest just started Kindergarten. So far I have 2 full boxes of work, one from each year of preschool. I know Im crazy to continue doing this since Ill end up with 30 boxes of school work by the time the youngest graduates HS, but how do you decide what to part with?

 

[CBRorBust]

that sounds so cool!

I would love to see some of the stuff I did back in elementary!

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

I keep a three ring binder of each of my kids stuff. They are now in 6th and 7th grade and I have one (sometimes 2) binder of each grade's work. It is fun to look back on and the kids like it. It has also helped my son who is younger to go back and look at he work his sister did the year before.

I got this idea from a Parent's Magazine article many years ago.

Elise

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

My son is now in 3rd grade, and I have a long rubbermade container that's about 1/2 full. I find that the older he gets, the less I save. It's just not as cute anymore.

Also, I find that I'm saving less artwork but more of his stories. They are so funny and I'm sure that he'll someday love to look back at himself when he had such a youthful perspective.

 

[tiggerlover]

I am a saver too.....my DS has three baby books! DS is in first grade and I have learned to only save the most special things.

Elise, I love the idea of the binders, I think that is something I may want to look into doing. Do you just punch holes in the projects or do you put them in page protectors or something totally different. What a good way to preserve (chronologically) all of your childs work.

 

[Cindy B]

I pitch worksheets, and homework that he gets back.

But poems, pictures, special projects gets saved.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

Tiggerlover, I just 3 hole punch the school work. Some of it I have to fold to get into the binder. I also have found that as they get older, I don't save every single worksheet but do save stories, projects, tests, and things that are just different from the every day.

Elise

 

[Robinrs]

My Mom saved all of my best work. This morning I was looking over all my my English certificates. It showed me how proud she was of me. This means so much especially now.

I save Michael's best work also. I used to save EVERYTHING. The things I really save are the ones that are milestones and things that reflect his age. I hope when I'm gone he'll find them and smile like I did....

 

[Buckalew]

I save almost every paper. I use a 3 ring binder (usually a 3" one).
I use page protectors and I add all school newsletter, all math, etc. I put them in order in a page protector (can put a lot of paper in one protector). Surely, I will go through and weed out but I haven't yet. I add pictures, ribbons, awards, cards and mementos from her year. I can look up just about any piece of info from K,1,2 & now 3.
I'm not sure why I save everything but I do.

 

[chelsea&austinsmom]

I'm a saver also and my husband doesn't understand why I save everything. I just can't get rid of it. Maybe someday I'll be able to but for now I'm keeping it all.

 

[Olaf]

Save the best and toss the rest.

I also take pictures of DS with his artwork and then toss it.

 

[d.kurz]

All the stuff I was saving was taking over. Especially the pre-school stuff. When DD was about 11, she chose what to save. I looked over the throw-away stuff and rescued a couple of things I loved. It cut it down by about 2/3.

 

[CamColt]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I should start cutting down. Its just so hard to throw those papers out thinking of the hard work that went into them and thinking how many laughs we will get out of them in 20 something years.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I must be a bad mom...I didn't save my kids school work...just their report cards.