What To Do With School & Art Work

What to do with all the school/art stuff in the basement?

The question I often hear is What do I do with all the schoolwork and artwork from my kids that they have left here?  

Well many times those kids are now in their 30’s-50’s and have the same issue with their kids. 

This should have been dealt with when they moved out but again and again I hear, they were living at school or they were in a tiny apartment or a small house and since their parents place was bigger and it was already there, it just got left there. 

Contact them to ask them if they want anything from their school days that you have been holding onto. 

If they say yes then give them a time limit to pick it up and have it waiting for them at the front door so they have no excuse if they forget it. 

They might even want to go through it with you. 

You might hear “why did you even keep this?” or are you sure this is mine (when there is no name or date on it).  

Recycle what is not being kept.

If however, they do not want it then it becomes yours to do what you want with it. Go through it quickly and see if there are any treasures you want to keep. 

I think report cards and creative stories along with art projects that took a long time to do and that you like can stay. 

However, only if you really want them and with limited space this may be something that you can just take a picture of and let go.

For more ideas for decluttering and organizing, check out my other blogs.