Tossing the Precious: Why I Don’t Save Art Projects
Here’s a picture of a box of artwork I unearthed from under my son’s bed, in an ongoing effort to conquer the paper tiger around here, save what’s worth saving, and toss what’s not:
This particular box escaped a big purge/organization I did last year (and am still recovering from; sorting through piles of papers, similarly to sorting through piles of clothes, is one of my least favorite tasks, above only weeding), so I wanted to paw through it and stash anything worth saving in the plastic boxes I filled last year.
Turns out, not so much of it is going to be salvaged.
But — some might say — aren’t these things precious? My sons — one of whom now wears deodorant and is headed to middle school next year — don’t do glitter and finger-paint anymore. Don’t I want to save this stuff forever?
No.
Thing is, much of what’s left here isn’t technically even artwork that they made, so much as it’s a pile of projects various daycare and preschool teachers led them to do. They were cute when they were brought home, but now? What do they mean to me? I did keep one or two of their endless daycare art projects (I was actually fortunate; I loved our daycare, and it was owned and run by a woman who was herself an avid crafter and scrapbooker, so they did some fun stuff), as a memory of the time and the place. But all the rest? The seasonal and easily forgotten projects like this:
or this:
Or this:
It’s going in the trash. And I don’t regret a single flutter of glitter or piece of tissue paper.
What do you do with kids’ art?
June 11, 2013 @ 12:08 pm
Oh my…Denise!! It’s like we’re the same person!
June 11, 2013 @ 12:14 pm
I try to take a picture of my son holding the artwork on the day he brings it home, but after it hangs on the fridge for a while, the artwork itself goes in the trash (and the digital image is saved on a dvd with the other pictures I took that year.) The projects he’s done so far were all teacher led, so after they’ve served as decoration for a little while, I don’t see any need to keep them.
June 11, 2013 @ 12:16 pm
My mom saved a few specific pieces of holiday crafts that my brother and I made in elementary school and she actually still puts them up – I’m 31 and my brother is 29. The rest got thrown away because who is going to look at that stuff again? It just took up room that they didn’t have.
My son is 2.5 and comes home from pre-school every week with an “art project.” It sits out for a week or so and then gets stuffed in a box under my desk. I have the vague guilt of “I shouldn’t throw it away because look how cute…” but if this keeps up for another, what, 6 or 7 years…?? We’ll suffocate under it. What on earth will I do with it? I do have one friend who takes a picture of or scans the things that can be scanned and then throws the original away. But even that seems like too much work. Maybe I’ll take a picture of the contents of the box each year.
June 11, 2013 @ 12:47 pm
Just the other day there was a scathing article about Kate Gosslin tweeting about not wanting all her kids’ year end stuff from school. I mean really, 8 kids, that’s a lot of crap. And yes, some of it is crap. If you actually have a discussion with your child you know which items mean something to them and which don’t. Once they got older I let them determine what stays and what goes. If EVERYTHING is special then none of it is special. My kids figured that out. Not sure why the other “Martyr Mothers” can’t. Bowing to pressure of some unattainable measure of “good mother”.
Now don’t get me started on year end gifts for teachers. Hate that gong show as well. A card or note is ALWAYS sufficient.
June 11, 2013 @ 1:15 pm
Glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t get knocked over with guilt about throwing these treasures away.
Actually, I take a lot of my daughter’s paintings, drawings and scribblings and turn it into birthday gift wrap. I do love the creativity and a choice few I’ve kept but the other stuff — here, colour this picture — doesn’t hold a lot of value to me.
@Kim — my daughter is going into kindergarten next year. I have to buy GIFTS?? (dread). Maybe it’s 32 pieces of revenge to clutter up some teacher’s shelf for the crap that gets sent home…?
June 12, 2013 @ 12:17 pm
Hi Melanie
Love the idea of turning ‘art’ into birthday gift wrap. I went up our loft the other day and saw boxes of stuff we’d done at school (almost 28 years ago!!!!). It is up the loft and never gets looked at, so why keep it.
Regarding getting teachers a gift – I agree these things can get expensive and pointless – esp. if some presents are re-donated or re-given at Christmas (I have read several posts on this happening).
One suggestion which you might want to think about is a charity gift donation. You donate online and buy stationery or a chicken or books and then the teacher gets a card to say X item has been brought in their name. This way, you know the gift is not wasted and you are helping a charity aswell. – I’ve attached the link here to a good site – (I admit, I write for them too!) – http://www.musthavegifts.org
June 18, 2013 @ 8:38 pm
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for the link and sorry I didn’t see it until today. What a fantastic idea! It really appeals to my practical side. I really appreciate it and intend on doing it!
June 11, 2013 @ 1:33 pm
A few of the really good ones are framed and hung in their rooms. Every once in awhile I’ll change what’s in the frame.
Some of it ends up on the fridge for a few days. When they were younger, we mailed a lot of it to grandparents. In preschool, they painted at the easel nearly every class, which was three days a week, so I used to use those as wrapping paper.
I took photographs of most of it when they were younger. One year I used the pictures to make photo books for grandmothers. I had a page with a pic of each kid and a “bio” about the “artist.” “John likes art because it’s messy and fun. He prefers pen and ink as a medium but has been experimenting with color.” I scored a buy one get two free deal right before the holidays, and had a unique gift. The pictures get burned to disk, which is a lot easier to store than all that art. I saved a couple really great projects in a bin in the basement, but not a lot.
This year, I got caught recycling the workbooks they brought home at the end of the year. They howled and complained…and I refused to dig them out of the can.
June 11, 2013 @ 2:17 pm
I am so on board with you! Save the ones that make you feel all gushy inside – toss the rest. Especially toss the ones that not one ounce of your child’s creativity shows through, you know, the ones that showcase the teachers cutting abilities.
And the ones you do save? Get them in a frame and up on the wall so you can feel all gushy on a regular basis.
June 11, 2013 @ 2:53 pm
A friend of mine takes photos of the kids art projects and then has them as the screen saver on her computer. Pretty neat idea. Wish I was that organized.
June 11, 2013 @ 3:20 pm
I have scanned 90% of my son’s artwork and drawings, or taken a picture of them and I am going to make a shutterfly photo book so that I will always have those memories. One book, all of the memories.
June 11, 2013 @ 5:55 pm
Count me in with all the rest because I only save a couple of their “good” pieces for every grade they are in and unceremoniously chuck the rest without blinking an eye.
We would be drowned in a sea of ragged paper if we kept everything they brought home. I can’t wait for school to end so I have a break from the dreaded paper invasion.
June 12, 2013 @ 5:19 pm
My grandmother died when I was 4, and I am the only one of her grandchildren who knew her. A few years ago, my mother called me up all excited – one of her uncles was moving some of the furniture he had inherited and came across a few of my grandmother’s second-grade school papers. Did I want them?
No, I did not. I have a painting of her, a few pieces of jewelry, and some very sweet memories. What would I do with her second-grade papers?
So I get it, totally!
June 21, 2013 @ 2:50 am
I save the ones that are self-generated. For example, I love the way my middle child draws her suns and people, so I have a few of those drawings… But triangles glued to construction paper? Recycled…
June 21, 2013 @ 4:51 pm
I only have a three month old so I have not yet had to worry about her making this for me yet! 😛
My mom never kept anything we made for her. She even went as far as to tell us she hated getting crafty gifts from us and would throw them away pretty quickly. I think I stopped making anything for her at around 7 years old because she hurt my feelings. I actually turned into a pretty good artist but to this day I will not draw anything for her. (She hates my art style anyway, though she brags about me and thinks I am very talented).
I am with you and will not be keeping all the things my girl makes for me (my hubby will probably keep more). But I will not do what my mom did.
June 21, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
Alex,
I’m sorry your mom did that — it must have hurt. There are still a few things my siblings and I made that my parents still have — and until he retired, my father had a pencil cup made from a decorated concentrated-juice can on his desk, which always made me so happy to see.
Thanks for your comment,
Denise