Preparing to sell and move...what to do with school records???

[Blueridge]

We've been in our basement for for days now, slowly cleaning, decluttering, and redistributing goodies to eliminate extra boxes. I have 20 years of accumulated homeschool notebooks and papers from 4 children :001_huh:...and the thought of pitching it all breaks my heart. All the papers are worth keeping because there are beautiful memories contained in each notebook. Ideas to help me keep the memories and yet rid the clutter and weight of it all?

[Amira]

Sort through it and scan the best parts. We move often and have switched to scanning the papers we want to keep. It's not quite the same, but there's no way we could keep everything.

[Miss Marple]

Yeah, it feels like you're pitching your life into the garbage. I did the clearing out thing several years ago and wrestled with the idea that the pile of stuff represented my LIFE for the past 18 years! Surely it was worth something? But it was taking up so much space!

 

I ended up getting a medium sized Rubbermaid tote for each boy. I pulled out the best representations of each school year for each son and put those into the tote. For the early years I had handwriting pages, drawings, some math work, etc. For the later years, there were research papers, essays, artistic accomplishments, etc. as well as anything that had comments from other teachers (ie, co-op).

 

I was able to take about 20 boxes (xerox type) and scale down 4 Rubbermaid totes. Then I had a "burning ceremony" for the excess papers.

[UnsinkableKristen]

 

I ended up getting a medium sized Rubbermaid tote for each boy. I pulled out the best representations of each school year for each son and put those into the tote. For the early years I had handwriting pages, drawings, some math work, etc. For the later years, there were research papers, essays, artistic accomplishments, etc. as well as anything that had comments from other teachers (ie, co-op).

 

I was able to take about 20 boxes (xerox type) and scale down 4 Rubbermaid totes. Then I had a "burning ceremony" for the excess papers.

 

:iagree:

 

My kids aren't old enough for me to have had to do this yet, however, my Mom did this for my brother and I. We each have a "History Box" and it has all of our most special drawings, report cards, awards, baby clothes, etc. It's just one box and I love having it - it doesn't take up too much space and as I get older I add things to it (notes from my husband/kids, etc).

 

This way we have special things from our childhoods, but my parents don't have boxes and boxes in the attic.

[Blueridge]

Great ideas! If I had a scanner I would be doing that today, so I'll put that on my tax shopping list. That will be a great idea for my dh's old training notebooks and things that are taking up space, too. Totes...I love totes, and am planning to replace the remaining cardboard boxes with them anyway since apparently mice love cardboard :tongue_smilie:. I love the idea of a separate tote for a history box for each daughter. They will love the burning ceremony LOL.Thanks for the help! I can be organized...I can be organized...I can be organized! Off to work!

[K-FL]

It helped me to think "scrapbook." You don't need every.piece.of.paper, just a representative of the time---like a portfolio.

[catz]

It helped me to think "scrapbook." You don't need every.piece.of.paper, just a representative of the time---like a portfolio.

 

:iagree: I actually do a portfolio for my kids in a 3 ring binder every year. I can imagine in a few years taking 3-5 years worth of stuff and compressing down again. I keep all sorts of crazy stuff in there, but some of that is the most fun to look at later - ticket stubs, funny doodles, brochures from places we've gone and weekly spreadsheets of academics and extras.