August 2010

Back in February, my son's preschool teachers had the students make a portrait of George Washington using construction paper and a doily cut for his frilly collar. The kids also had to draw George's face. While this seems like a project that would produce a cookie-cutter army of identical Georges, this was certainly not the case. Each George had his own unique personality. Some kids inverted his collar, giving him a Queen Elizabeth appearance. The facial features really set some GW's apart from others.

My son's George, for example, had all red features, spiral eyes and a zig-zag mouth. The finished piece had a very zombie-like effect. Knowing my son, I wouldn't expect him to portray a president he has no knowledge of any other way. By the way, his interpretations of Santa and family members are also very zombie-like.

Zombie-esque or otherwise, kids' artwork is a fantastic creative time capsule of what they think and where they are developmentally. As parents, it is our job to preserve these art pieces so that we can cherish their unique and evolving creativity.

School starts soon, and with it comes a barrage of artwork and projects. If you plan ahead, you can be ready to store these masterpieces without having them stack up, get damaged, or accidentally tossed out.

 

Weeding out

Let's face it, not all of your child's work is going to be top-notch. Some items won't reflect your child's creativity as much as others. Besides, if you save all of your child's art, you'll likely run out of space. There are, however, projects that are very special. You'll know them when you see them. There are sometimes art pieces that seem less-than-fabulous to you, but that your child is excessively proud of and appears to have poured his heart and soul into. It is wise to hold onto these pieces too.

 

Framing

Every once in a while your child will produce something really spectacular. In these cases, framing (provided it is flat) is the only option. Hanging it on a wall with your other artwork lets your child know that you value her work and want to show it off. Framing can be pricey, so I sometimes buy less expensive plastic frames or reuse frames from old wall hangings I no longer like. Also, you can buy framed pictures and prints at thrift stores and use the frames for your child's art. There are also deeper frames and shadow boxes that can accommodate 3-D works of art.

 

Photographing

If you are short on space, one way to keep your children's artwork is to take photos of it and make a digital photo album or slideshow with them. These photos are great to add to your family blog or Facebook page, if you're into that.

 

Making a Portfolio

I have been placing my son's work in a large binder with sheet protectors. I keep all the pieces he has made in one school year in one binder. This way, his pictures are protected, and they are easy to flip through at a later date.  Another way to make a portfolio is to dedicate one entire tablet of paper to a certain theme or only special drawings. In my son's case, he filled a whole tablet with monster drawings and I labeled them with the names he came up with.

 

Creating a Gallery

For all the items that don't make it to the portfolio or don't get framed, it is nice to dedicate a wall or bulletin board to display those items. I found an old piece of thin drywall in my basement and I use that to display art projects and drawings.

Avoiding the trash

Even if you have a budding Picasso in your midst, you may be inclined to place some of your child's work in the trash or your "We Recycle" drawstring bag. If you want to avoid getting busted by your child or simply feel too guilty doing so, you can:

• Cut finger paintings up and mount them on blank cardstock and use them as greeting cards.
• Give them as gifts to family members.
• Use larger drawings (or tape smaller ones together) as gift-wrap.

 

Good luck storing your kids' artwork and just remember: when your child becomes the next Georgia O'Keefe, her childhood drawings will be worth millions!

 

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