to have a big purge on DCs craft-work?

[Arcadie]

We seem to have collected an astonishing amount of tatty bits of paper over the last few years. It's everywhere. It's getting me irritated. May I please throw it in the recycling? PLEASE? 3 playgroup sessions, 1 toddler group and a Sunday school class makes for a lot of beautiful junk.

Will watch as have just been round collecting dd2's craft - I have instruments made from cereal boxes and decorated water bottles, animals made from toilet roll tubes and loads of drawings! Don't know what to do as I feel so mean throwing them out but there is just no room!

Will sit on fence and wait for someone else to give permission!

Yes, your sin is safe with me. Have just done the same to dd (3). I keep a few on the wall the rest are resigned to the recycling bin.

I do the gently, gently approach. First, put it pride of place, then gradually move it behind things, into a cupboard and then when they haven't mentioned it/noticed in the recycling bin.

Yes, keep it for a bit, then chuck or store depending on how good or precious it is. I had a major purge a couple of years after DD2 left nursery and I now have a smallish box of Significant Pieces for both DDs.

I need to do this too.... One thing I have done in the past if DD has been reluctant to get rid of a particular mess of cereal boxes covered in paint and glitter artwork is take a picture of her proudly holding it up, so she has some long-lasting proof of her amazing craft skills and we don't have every surface covered in junk.

I keep the good stuff on the fridge for a week or so then i disappears and the new stuff takes its place. Only the good stuff though and the rest goes in the bin.
The good stuff i then put in big shoe boxes and keep in the loft.
DS who is now 6 found one of his boxes a few weeks ago and was so delighted that we had kept his stuff, i plan on giving him it when he is older.
I wish my mum had kept a few bits like that of mine

I keep everything for about 3 days in a visible place, then on a shelf for another week, and then into the recycling bin. I can't stand clutter!

Well, I have also kept about 5 pieces in the "memory box" during the last 7 years.

I have a big photo album for each of the DCs. Every so often we go through their art work and they pick a couple of favourites then we paste them into the books, and write a comment or put a sticker on it etc. The rest gets recycled. Bigger craft 'projects' tend to hand around for a few weeks then I quietly hide them for a few days to see if the DCs notice they are missing before recycling!

I have an "art gallery" on my office wall (work from home in small bedroom). When it is full I work on a 1 in 1 out basis. Now that DS is also starting to create "art" I'm dividing it in too. Unless it is really "priceless" the rest gets farmed out to family or recycled.

Take a photo of each one and put them in an album then bin the originals. But keep a couple if they are really good and have them framed.

Such good ideas! Thank you. I love the idea of photographing their work as I'm a bit of a "treasured memories"/ "scrapbook your life" fiend. That ticks all my clutter free but treasured none-the-less boxes.

yes taken photographs then no need to feel guilty