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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: June 09 2007 at 5:51pm | IP Logged
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My ds (7) draws for hours-- sometimes up to 6 hrs a day. He is working on a book--a 4-5 volume book on ancient Romans!
No matter what I've tried to corral his papers (giving him his own table, closet and portfolio), they seem to be TAKING OVER the house along with his pencils, markers, erasers, etc. Stacks of paper--Everywhere!
I am not a neat freak, but I do try to keep things under control and "Localize the mess". How can I tame this monster?
Any suggestions? any other moms who've had similar experiences?
Thanks,
CK
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 09 2007 at 10:55pm | IP Logged
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I got a very large plastic, underbed bin on rollers - and told them all paper saved must fit in this. When he ran out of space here, then we had to sort through and decide what to keep and what not to keep. Now mine were not saving lovely drawings, any written work - more like 30,000 different versions of paper airplanes with varying degrees of wax coatings (the wax coating is another story) and a flotilla of little boats made out of my dh old business cards and....
The bin idea has worked fairly well, as long as I maintain the rule when I start to see the paper overflow.
Janet
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: June 10 2007 at 7:05am | IP Logged
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Hi CK, Your ds sounds exactly like my dd! I like Janet's idea about the bin. Actually, I tried that with my dd but she kept putting all kinds of other stuff in the bin as well. I guess I didn't manage the situation very well. One other thing that helps (a little) is binders. You can get a couple of medium to thick binders and fill them with drawing paper (I just used copy paper that I 3-hole punch). She really doesn't have to even take the paper out of the binder but she can if she wants. Then she has a place to put it when she's done. Having a 3 hole punch is necessary. DD knows how to use it and just puts her drawings in her binders whenever she needs to.
As far as pencils, markers, erasers etc., I'm at a loss. We've tried various boxes, pencil cases, bags, purses, etc. and nothing seems to work. I do have a drawer in our dining room hutch that is "hers". Whenever I find pencils or whatever that are hers I tell her "put these in your drawer" and then tack on a lecture about how these are "artist's tools" and if she wants to be a good artist she has to take better care of them. I'm hoping it sinks in some day!
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: June 10 2007 at 8:48am | IP Logged
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You know, a bin might just be the thing! It's certainly the only thing large enough for the mounds of paper we are talking about! We might have to get one that doesn't go under the bed!
I also like the idea of the drawer for coralling the little things. I'll have to see if I can find room for that.
Thanks a lot!
CK
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 10 2007 at 9:30am | IP Logged
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We just cleaned the boys rooms - rearranging who was rooming with whom and .... there was a lot more in there than I thought, and lots of overflow that got out of control. But it is now under control - 3 garbage bags to the trash. I got out a little plastic school box for the flotilla of boats, the paper and airplanes are in under bed bin (one for each child). One boys has only paper in it (this includes all the coop paper stuff they made that isn't tacked to the bedroom wall, saved b-day cards, paper airplanes and other misc paper - but he also threw out paper planes that were no longer his best. The other has the playmobil in underbed box. We have one dresser drawer that holds some of the misc little stuff I'd love to ditch but they aren't ready to - but we sorted and organized and put in little plastic containers so there is a container for the rock collection, one for the flotilla of boats they play with frequently, etc. The toybox holds only stuffed animals. There are plastic bins for duplos, and another for lincoln log. It is organized in such a way that it should be easy to maintain. (I'll have to withhold final judgement after a few months, though).
They parted with driftwood, paper, broken toys (I kid you not, one son (the 4yo)had disassembled a robot (twaddly b-day present from relative)so he could get the electronic parts and motor. Now he parted with everything but the motor, Yeah!!! They also parted with some toys that they had outgrown (garage sale coming up) and large rocks and acorn collection.
I am on an anti-clutter campaign and my dds are laughing at scheming mom. I am also being viscious about my clutter and have even some books I'm parting with.
Edited to add: When you sort and child says they want to keep something put it in a keep pile, but if it is more twaddle save that pile for the last to organize and then have dc go through it with you again. At the end of the day, they are much more willing to part with stuff rather than find a good home for it - works especially well with the under 5 who save some of the oddest things.
Janet
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missionfamily
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| Posted: June 10 2007 at 1:31pm | IP Logged
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One idea that is really cute for art supplies is to buy one of those tool bags that hangs over a large bucket like this one. There's lots of places for markers, crayons, etc. on the outside and space for blank paper on the inside. I hang them on hooks from the ceiling when I need art time to be over for a while...then I know no one is painting a masterpiece without my knowledge, especially not on the dining room wall. 
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Colleen
dh Greg
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Footprints on the Fridge
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Help! Paper everywhere!!!!
