Getting Started

Make a Date: You first need to set an date where your plan is to revisit all kept work and edit what is not needed. Your date may be once or twice a year, depending on how well you feel you’ll handle the increased paper amount. Keep a few writing samples, funny stories, pictures, and needed testing results or report cards.

Love It or Toss It

When the work enters the home, toss items you know are not worth keeping. Then move on to your display or file location. Once you’ve enjoyed viewing older work, rotate items from display to store. Always ask yourself when you touch the work for the second time, is this truly a keep item. Remember, you’ll revisit all work on your set appointment date.

Display It

Kids love to see their work on display. So, framing or hanging work and then rotating them when new work comes in keeps things special and in order. Plus, it’s the quickest way to put things up.
There are so many creative options for displaying art.  The display system you choose works as a boundary for you and the kids–teaching them if it can hold it, you can keep it. They’ll see what they value more and what can rotate or be thrown away.

Store It

What can you do with the artwork until your review date? Keep it in a flat portfolio folder (great for larger work), or roll it up in tubes. You can also use small binders with clear pockets and dividers. It’s easy to view and enjoy, and then edit on your scheduled date. A standard file bin with hanging folders is also effective, if you have the room to store the bins. Quick tip: label the storage of choice with child’s name, categorize by year, and group like contents.

Go Digital

Once you decide on what you want to keep longer term, consider taking pictures or scanning work and creating a printed album from your digital library. Condensing to one work/art album (every 5 years or so) makes a special book, gift, and keepsake. I love that it also allows you to edit your printed album collection.

Take a look at these great tips on Edudemic and the Top 5 APPS for Organizing Schoolwork–yes, they have an App for that!

There are many sites to consider for storing images and printing albums or even calendars, here are two you’re likely familiar with Shutterfly.com and snapfish.com.

Treasure It

Keep a treasure box for items you and/or your child want to hold onto. I suggest an acid free photo box for each child.  Though a lot of people love to scrapbook, it takes time and is not for all. The bonus of a treasure box is having a quick location to place items you’re not ready to get rid of or want to keep for a period of time, or longer.

Be creative: Artwork can also be placed on mugs, shirts, and more creative ideas from sites like cafepress.com.

For more ideas, take a look at the Simply Savvy board on Pinterest.

(Image reused from ASoftPlace.net).

First, a word about the work: The hardest part was the year of procrastination leading up to that day. Once I entered the closet on my mission, the rest was cake, and frankly cathartic. It was great to get rid of so much useless dead weight.

In the end, I donated 104 items, all on hangers. It was good to see them go. And especially good to see them go off to good use. Knowing that someone is probably feeling pretty darned good right now about the great deal they just got on one of my perfectly good shirts makes me feel good. It’s what should happen to the clothes we’re done with.

And as a more practical bonus, I was rewarded by uncovering 12 forgotten items that are like new and that I definitely will wear again. I don’t know about you, but for me that would be quite a lavish shopping trip. And I got it all for free. Not a bad day’s (not counting the procrastination) work.