How do you deal with the endless papers and artwork that your children bring home? We used to have papers and artwork lying around everywhere. I was afraid to throw them away until the kids forgot about them because one wrong move sent them to tears. The kids like to put their papers and artwork on our dresser, bathroom vanity, the fridge, and you can barely see our kitchen island on some days. They repeatedly pop questions about where their latest artwork from school is. At times I have to tell them that we can not keep all of their papers. However, I let them know their special projects are kept in their school tote.
These totes allow me to keep things like handprint art from when they were 6 months old, sports and dance photos, yearbook photos, and more. I purchased the totes for my kids from staples along with the hanging file folders. They work great to store our kids’ favorite art projects, awards, and anything else I don’t want to toss out. The kids absolutely love getting these out every now and then to look at things they made a few years ago.
My oldest son, Collin, is currently in 2nd grade. He definitely had more artwork in daycare and preschool than he does now. However, the things he brings home now are just as special.
Here is a list of the various things we keep in these totes:
- Artwork
- All About Me Books the kids have made in preschool
- Report cards
- Sports Team/Dance Photos
- School Awards/Certificates
- Class Photos
I put together a tote for each of them customized with their own personal color of hanging file folders that they picked out themselves. I selected a photo and name tag that they have brought home from preschool and stuck it on the front to make them more fun. They are simple, easy, but very functional.
Honestly, there was no organization prior to having these totes. I got them a few years ago and somehow managed to hold onto their things but no idea how I did it. There’s a lot of things I don’t remember when I had a one, two, and three year old though so I’m not surprised.
These totes are smaller than your average storage tote. The letter/legal size file bin is perfect to store these hanging file folders. They also snap on tight.
The kids each have one of these totes to store their favorite artwork in and I also have a standard size tote for them that I keep some of their baby clothes/ accessories in. That way I am able to keep a few things but don’t become a hoarder of their clothes they have grown out of. Although I do have about 7 other totes of baby/kids clothes that I have not done anything with!
Our kids love to draw, color, craft, and all things project-related. I am so thankful we have a great Hobby Lobby here because they always have seasonal projects that my kids seem to adore. I keep a good stash of paper, markers, colors, and basically all the scrapbooking supplies without the scrapbooks. It seems we are constantly doing projects. The kids often request to put their artwork in their TOTE and not thrown out.
Hope you have a great Wednesday! Happy organizing!
