In the meantime, we collect all of our artwork on hemp cord strung along the hallway walls. I use clothes pins to hang it up. It makes a great decoration and the kids LOVE seeing their artwork hanging there.

Please remember that if you reuse materials to make art and crafts, you’re already helping to save Mother Earth. New art supplies use natural resources, and they take energy to produce. And of course, items you buy at the store have to be shipped from the manufacturer or distributor, so reusing also helps save fuel.

If you really want to take apart your creations and recycle the paper and other materials after the works have lost their appeal, you can do that. Believe it or not, art teachers will welcome odd beads, feathers, and other items that are in good shape and can’t be recycled, but I have another idea.

Find a teacher who would be delighted to have your child’s work to keep on file. When they’re introducing creative activities, classroom and art teachers need good examples to show students. I always prefer showing my kids other students’ work instead of something I have created for the motivation or example.

Something else I thought about doing with my children’s artwork and papers that I couldn’t bring myself to throw away is to make a paper quilt and frame it for display. All you do is cut a large square from some section of the artwork, spelling test, or other paper. Then glue the squares onto a background so they look like a patchwork quilt. Finally, mat and frame the piece. Go to a thrift store to buy the frame, and make your work fit it. This is another example of reuse, and it helps support Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and others.

Making a paper quilt and saving the work in this way keeps the paper and other items out of the landfill, and you can enjoy kids’ art and writing for a long time. Besides, framing the piece shows you really value their work, and it will make them feel so good! I hope you find one or more of these suggestions helpful.