Each month we hang up their artwork and fun things on our wall and (if I remember) at the end of the month I snap a monthly picture of all the art together. Like this.
But there are a few items that I just have. to. keep!
If it's got a kid's handprint on it, I'm keeping it forever.
Got a photo on it? Keep that!
Any sort of "About Me" or about a family member, keeping it!
An Award or Program. My baby got an Award! My baby was in a Play! Gotta save that forever and ever.
Anything that is uniquely special. I'm gonna keep that too (like that one time Car made a picture of a rooster with forks... I need to frame that for my kitchen!)
But by the end of the school year, I end up with a bunch of paper and artwork that is all special. So, how do I store all of it forever and ever?
This is what I came up with.
I have four paper trays that live in our kitchen. Artwork or items to each specific kid ends up in these paper trays and this is where they live until they go down to their forever home. These trays are conveniently located next to the trashcan, so letter practice, or bingo dots on the letter M, can easily be disposed of (in secret when no little eyes are watching! because that can lead to the end of the world!). Even the baby has a tray to put her growth charts and important documents in.
When the trays get filled, I go through each kid's and weed it out again (maybe that fork rooster doesn't quite go with my kitchen décor... but it makes me smile and I still want it!) Then what has survived goes into their SCHOOL YEAR BIN.
Here's how to put together your own SCHOOL YEAR BIN.
Get a bin. I got four of these at Target for about $4 a bin. If you want to get fancy, you can order waterproof locking bins here, but I'm just not about that and I think these bins will do well stored inside in our office for the duration of their lives in our home.
I also got letter and number stickers and folders. So. Many. Folders. I found an 8 pack of folders at Dollar Tree and bought enough so I could color code the schools (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High) but you don't have to color code them (but why wouldn't you?!?)
Take each folder and pop a sticker on it for each year. I needed to label a bunch of folders so I got creative and turned some I's into 1s if needed. Label ALL the years. Get folders for ALL the years. Get enough for ALL your kids (I even got a bin for Air so they are all uniform). Get it all done NOW so it's set up and ready to go for the rest of your child's school days. Then all you have to worry about it collecting art, awards, and fun memories.
Pop those folders into your bin! Use some extra letter stickers and put each kid's name on the outside of the bin. Boom. Done. Fill each folder with your special memories and you're all set and clutter free.
My hope is that each kid will have ONE bin to keep all of their school-year memories in. Hopefully they will fill them up with art and certificates and trophies and fun things. Then one day they will have everything together to take with them (or not. I don't care. I'll keep that fork rooster forever!)
Watch hot-mess me (and Car and Ay) put it together here
No comments :
Post a Comment