Get The Most From Childrens Art Education -- Saving Childrens Artwork - Art - Visual Art


Get The Most From Children's Art Education -- Saving Children's Artwork   by Christine O'Kelly

in Art / Visual Art    (submitted 2008-10-24)

Anyone who has ever had a child come home from an art class for kids and excitedly present their latest masterpiece has or is struggling with this dilemma. Knowing the great care and effort they put into each stroke of the pencil or paintbrush, it can be extremely difficult on both of you when you are forced to deal with the growing piles of work.

You don't want to make your child feel like their work is unappreciated and you want to remember the fun and growth they had via their children's art education, but there is only so much you can keep. Did you know that there are several ways for parents to deal with the artwork while still making your kids happy?

Selection

Deciding what to keep from a children's art education and what to toss can be difficult. Many parents eliminate quick scribbles quickly to control the speed at which these items can multiply. Others sit with their child once a month or quarterly and choose one or two pieces created at an art class for kids to keep and toss the others. Other parents will keep only items that demonstrate a new skill or represent an important moment in their life.

Once the keepers have been selected, there are a few systems to keep these works organized. Large envelopes, scrapbooks, or file folders are a common choice. Plastic containers or boxes work well. For truly priceless items, wrap them in acid free paper to preserve them as best you can. For the really special ones, buy old pictures from a yard sale or inexpensive ones from a craft store and display them for the world to see. A shadow box works great for the cotton-ball-and-cereal-covered items that are beautiful, but oh so hard to store safely.

Digital And Printed Methods

Children's art education has one benefit today that it didn't have several years ago thanks to technological advances. When a child comes home from an art class for kids, take a picture or scan their new creations. You can save these images onto a disc preserving them in perfect condition for years to come. Some parents use these to work with their kids to make personalized calendars. Some companies will also do this for you in addition to offering several other printable products, such as mugs or plates. Other companies will print the images into a bound book that you can keep for yourself and even order extra copies to give to friends and relatives.

Share The Wealth

For grandmothers, grandfathers, and other proud relatives who live a great distance away, items from a children's art education are often missed causing them to lose out on this part of your son or daughter's life. You can collect the items from an art class for kids and ship them on a weekly or monthly basis to family members so that they can enjoy their artwork as much as the kids do. For the largest paintings and drawings, use them to wrap presents for a personal touch.

As much as a children's art education can produce an intense sense of pride and important memories, it can also create a vexing problem for parents. With a few helpful hints, you can make you and your child happy by being creative when preserving these irreplaceable pieces. The entire family can enjoy an art class for kids for a long time after the class is over.