If you are the parent of a young child (or now have grown children) then you have had to ask yourself this same question – what do we do with all this artwork?  Our 4-year old is loving her pre-K class (and her 1 1/2 year old sister loves her class too!) at a fantastic Co-op preschool in Phoenix..every day they bring home a lovely, creative art project…one that I can not bring myself to throw away.  Eventually, some make it into the trash, but not all…so what to do with these treasures?
This issue of Wondertime Magazine tries to address this question with several options for “giving your kids’ art proper display space…so you don’t have to save every masterpiece”.  They suggest tat “the art should go up and down fairly regularly, keep very little but display it beautifully.”  Great advice…here are a few other tips from the article:

 

Get Digital

Memorialize selected works— your child’s blue period, say, or her armless bodies phase— by scanning them into your computer and creating cool keepsakes. To make a glossy poster, scan 4 to 16 pieces, then visit shutterfly.com or snapfish.com for the poster design and printing (about $20 to $25). If you’d rather not handle the technical aspects, try a print shop— just call first to make sure they do scanning. Once the items are scanned, all you need to do is decide how you want them to look on the poster and choose the background.

Live Large

FedEx Kinko’s will turn PDFs of artwork into large-format prints 1 on foam core (around $80 and up).

Go Mobile

Commission your artist to cut up her old art and create a simple mobile with a wire hanger and thread, or use Fotofalls’ mobile photo clip. ($21, umbra.com)

Make It Magnetic

Updating the artwork on display isn’t difficult if you create a magnetic gallery. Use four coats of magnetic primer (Magic Wall, $36 for 32 ounces, kling.com), then cover it with the wall color of your choice. Mount artwork with super-strong magnets (regular fridge magnets won’t hold). Shape-Up! magnets from Three by Three Seattle ($8 per 4-pack at fridgedoor.com) are too big to swallow and come in a variety of colors and shapes such as stars, birds, and arrows.

Blow Up

The hardest part? Inflating the frames — so let the artist do it. Then slide the work-of-the-week in the pocket and hang. (Instant Masterpiece Blow Up Frame, $10, Brooklyn5and10.com)

Tape It Off

If your child should happen to draw directly on the wall, don’t panic. Incorporate it into the gallery by surrounding it with Do-Frame Tape. It works for pieces he made elsewhere too. ($15, chocosho.com)

Frame It

Lil’ Da Vinci frames ($29 to $37, dynamicframes.com) swing open and store extra artwork (can you say spacesaver?). Or showcase your rotating collection in tried-and-true acrylic box frames. ($2 to $23, archivalusa.com)