Educ. materials, worksheets Save or discard in sheimos?

TzenaRena

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 2:02 pm

Every year as Pesach draws near, I must deal with this problem of papers that accumulate. I go through boxes of miscellaneous papers and children's worksheets, workbooks, charts, and printed matter created so lovingly by their teachers, which contain a wealth of information.

Many of these worksheets/booklets have only been partially filled out embarrassed

, so I realize that maybe the child hasn't even mastered what they were supposed to have, and I should make sure they do.

As I peruse through them trying to decide whether to put them in sheimos, or to keep them, so I can review it with either that child, or use for teaching the next, I am so undecided.

These papers are clogging up my home, filling boxes. gotta get rid of the boxes, it's clutter, an eyesore, and the area must be cleared for Pesach cleaning.

On the other hand they have the potential to enrich that or the next child in learning if I ever get around to my plans Rolling Eyes

To be very honest I haven't ever done so Sad

, but does that count?

Oh, and what about their adorable notebooks, that 10 years later we will look at, and think "what a cute/ child's/baby handwriting he/she had then". another piece of your child's personality, like their school pictures.

So, I can't get rid of anything.... My solution in the past has sometimes been last minute to send it all down to the basement to be locked away for Pesach and dealt with afterward.( Do you think that ever happens? ) Help

What do those of you who have school-age children do? (especially the teachers among you, who may have an emotional attachment to these materials, as I do )

shalhevet

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 2:28 pm

In the summer we choose 2-4 notebooks from each child/class, usually davka notebooks which contain their own original work rather than teacher's handouts. The rest are thrown out or put in the geniza as is appropriate. In Israel we don't have a basement - so unless I want to build a new room to keep it all in ... This way each child has a memory of each grade. With the little ones they always have a folder from gan so I keep it with 3-5 pictures in.

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 2:46 pm

I guess this wont help you with all the boxes from the past, but maybe for the future...
I make a pile of those workbook

Quote:

Many of these worksheets/booklets have only been partially filled out , so I realize that maybe the child hasn't even mastered what they were supposed to have, and I should make sure they do

And save the pile for Shabbos - its the perfect time to sit with each of your children and look through their work with them.

About saving artwork and projects- We save a few pages here and there that reflect their development and they have such fun looking at their folders on those long shabbosim...of all the old things they used to do.

Motek

Tue, Mar 28 2006, 12:34 pm

SaraYehudis wrote:

I would save lots of them, file them away in folders by child and grade and subject.

I have my Hebrew notes from 7th and 8th grades and I'm glad that I do. I have all of my notes and tests from high school and seminary and I'm glad that I do and I have referred to them.

your kids may end up teaching one day and will be happy to have this material

I wish I had more elementary school stuff, not all the teitch notes but Pesach notebooks, Megilla sheets, my 13 colonies report that I made with toothpic log cabins and samplings of tobacco, my report on Peru, etc. These things mean a lot to me.

Quote:

Oh, and what about their adorable notebooks, that 10 years later we will look at, and think "what a cute/ child's/baby handwriting he/she had then". another piece of your child's personality, like their school pictures.

exactly

If you have kids going through the same grades and coming home with identical or similar material, no need to keep doubles and triples.

re arts and crafts - save only unique things that they made themselves