for throwing away my children's artwork?

[DiamondDoris]

I've kept every piece of my dd's and ds's artwork (paintings, sculptures from cereal packets etc), but am having trouble getting into the attic! I just crushed a cardboard castle (2 years old) - I know I'll be moaned at, but how much do other's keep?

I keep very, very little.

I often feed the recycling bin "artwork". If I kept everything the house would be over-run. I usually just keep special bits and pieces. Like things done at xmas and easter etc.

I save anything I think is a bit special and the rest goes to recycling! We'd be knee deep by now if I didn't.

Very little tbh. Just my favourites. Models and stuff we don't really have any room for - they're photographed and then surreptitiously disposed of. Unless they're clay or summat - those ones we keep.

Have seen collages made of v childish scribbles/first drawings etc, and they look pretty effective.

As a guide, we have a single small storage box of ds's 'art', mementoes and stuff from preschool/school, and he's in year 2.

Take photos, then bin it.

I have a folder (A3, about 5cm thick) full of stuff - for 3 children. When it gets full, I go through and bin some of it. So I end up with just the stuff that seems particularly precious.

Of course, their rooms are stuffed with creations, too.

you could always take a photo of it before you throw it away - much easier to store on a computer!

We make cards from some of it and other stuff goes in the bin.... there's only so many pasta pictures you need to embarrass and 18 year-old!

Not all of it. I always put their home done Christmas artwork stuff away with the Xmas decorations, then it's nice to see it once a year and pack it away again. Copies of Santas letters and drawings they left for him to see while he was delivering presents.

You can't keep everything. I have a large plastic art folder keep a few bits done each year. I only keep enough that I can store.

yy, take photos then bin it.

keep your absolute favourites, but only if they're small.

I don't keep much. Nursery seem to clear out on a regular basis so I get a stack of stuff. I choose a couple of bits, date it, store it and chuck the rest.

Actually, for Christmas we made paper chains from some of it, which seemed a good way of using it again before getting rid. I'm going to keep some this year for making thank you cards from.

I feel better already! I like the photo idea from TanteRose. I'm not a hoarder by nature, but soon to be ex husband is and I'm moving out soon, so don't want to take the kitchen sink with me.

Just keep the best. I have a box for each in the loft. Every so often I sift it a bit further.

I'm the same, I always feel really guilty if I put any artwork in the recycling bin but with 2 children, both school age and a small house we'd be completely overrun by now!
I did try to keep everything as couldn't bring myself to throw anything away, now though I just limit myself to a few good pieces to keep of each and try to recycle the rest.

I keep special things but we can't keep everything even though dd would like us to

I keep special things that I want to keep in a box in my room

Then like someone else has said we have a big folder to put everything else in. Only difference is I get DD (5) to go through it herself rather than me getting rid of stuff. She alternates the things on her wall and in the file, and is actually really good at getting rid of things that she isn't keen on any more.

I think it was very handy for my mother that when I was little we had grandparents that lived a 6 hour car trip away. When we brought stuf home she would say, "Oh how lovely, I'll send it to Nanny and Granddad. They will love it!" Then by the time we actually visited them a few weeks later I would have forgotten all about it! - She never sent anything by the way. It all went in the bin!

The way I look at it, is to think how much (or little) artwork you have from when you were 2, or 5, or 10. Do you wish you had more? No? Then bin it!

Having said that, I found a book recently with a dinosaur picture that I drew when I was about 7, and could remember doing it! So that was kind of nice. But - if I hadn't found the picture, it would have remained forgotten - and not been missed .

I think that you have to work out why you are keeping it. Your grown up DCs might be a bit interested to see a few examples of their younger, artistic, selves but they are going to be bored rigid and think you a nutter if you have every piece! If it is for you do you really want to wade through page after page of similar?

I rotate, a picture goes on the fridge until the next one is brought home and then it gets replaced and re-cycled! my son has never noticed, just keep a few sentimental bits

I photograph everything and have backed-up computer files containing everything they have ever made. It's lovely to look back on it all with just a few mouse clicks, and you can see a slideshow of their creations over the years, without getting covered in chalk dust and disintegrating paper mulch.

We also use the kitchen cupboards as a gallery of current masterpieces so both DCs have several pieces up on display at any one time which are regularly replaced.

We recycle most things without display; a few treasures are kept longterm though (like first recognisable 'people' pictures, first letter formation, wonderful pics like DS's of me when pregnant with DD...).

Keep selection of it, have rotating display in kitchen, recycle vast majority!

I send some of it to relatives with short "To Nanny, with lots of love, Baby Seabright" type messages on.

That way I don't have to store it or feel guilty about chucking it out >

Are you my DIL Seabright?