As we near the end of the school year (and, gulp, we are!), kids will start bringing home myriad art projects. MomSpeaker Jennifer Auer has nine ways to keep and display these masterpieces in a way that won't clutter the house or turn it into a mini museum of sorts. Our fave is No. 3! What's yours?
If you're like me, every day your kids create new and wonderful projects. You would love to store them all, but you just don't have the space. And the thought of parting with them leaves you burdened with guilt. Here are some ideas that will hopefully help.
- Keep only the best. Which projects were created with minimal adult help? Which ones are your child's favorites? Which ones are associated with special memories you want to hold onto?
- Store the keepers in an under-the-bed bin.
- Take pictures of the projects before discarding. Then turn the pictures into a digital scrapbook or coffee-table book.
- Lillian Vernon has a great hanging banner with frames that allow you to showcase your child's artwork. Then easily rotate them out when new projects are created.
- Turn them into gifts for loved ones. Wouldn't Pop Pop and Granny love to see what your child has created?
- Pull out seasonal items to store with your seasonal decorations. Every Christmas you can be reminded of how your child has grown over the years.
- Laminate the smaller items and transform them into ornaments.
- Laminate the larger items or a group of smaller ones and create placemats.
- Designate an area of your home as your child's Art Gallery. Use shadow box or regular frames to highlight your child's favorite projects. On the first of every month, rotate out the artwork to reflect a newer creation.
Jennifer Auer is a South Jersey mom. This post is adapted from her blog, Jersey Family Fun.
