I have a question for you. What do you do with all your children’s art and craft work? Be honest now. Do you:
 
a)       Display it in tasteful Ikea frames which you update with new work every month
b)       Proudly stick it up in a disorganised clutter on the fridge for a month or so and then store it in a safe place to be brought out to show your grandchildren in years to come
c)       Admire it, leave it on the kitchen table for a couple of days to show anyone who calls round and then put it all in a folder in a drawer in the spare bedroom
 
It’s a bit of a conundrum isn’t it. How do you keep all these lovingly crafted things without letting it take over your house? As the years go by and more children join the family there seems to be an ‘art and craft’ mountain developing in my house and having just been past Hallowe’en and heading into Christmas. I’m expecting another deluge of craft into the home.
 
Of course, every parent loves to see their child's work, but as the innocent primary school work develops into more sophisticated secondary school work, how do you keep up? How can I possibly throw out the cotton wool lamb which was made when my son was two or the wonky-eyed spider which proudly came home?
 
If I keep it all, who am I keeping them for? For the children so they can look back and laugh at their early masterpieces, or for myself so I can go on a massive nostalgia trip when they are grown up and tell me they wish they’d never been born?
 
A friend of mine suggested a very practical solution to this recently. She keeps anything which is extra special, but takes a photo of all the pictures and craft projects and collates the pictures in a scrap book. Quite a clever idea.
 
So, what will you be doing with this first term’s artwork and everything that has gone before? All solutions gratefully received.

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