Sunday 31 July 2011

Kids' art

The perennial question: how long does kids’ art need to hang around?

Don’t get me wrong I love the kids’ stuff. My partner’s study is a veritable gallery of their productivity. And I have boxes labeled ‘Kids Best Art’ in the attic. We have panoramas, pottery, papier mache and paintings. I have had to cull as if we’d kept everything that all four had ever made, we’d never be able to fight our way into the house. One trick is to use the paintings as wrapping paper - but even that isn't fool proof as they insist "that's mine!" and take it back after the gift is unwrapped...

But how long do they need to be in a prominent position?

I got home from Tasmania last weekend to discover the small fry had gone to much trouble to put artistic signs on the bedroom doors – just in case we all forget where we belong at night time. Which might sound silly, but as you mothers will attest, there are nights that resemble musical beds and one could wonder if people actually do know where they belong.



But I take pride in attempting to keep our bedroom a haven in our ‘maison d’chaos’.  Even that one space is a constant battle as my partner redefines messy. If we were married, I could divorce him on account of this alone! (I’ve posted before that I’m a bit anal, and yet, the house is rarely tidy…. go figure.) We’ve even managed to have only one painting in the room, which is remarkable – trust me. We love art and now have to show restraint we’re so short on wall space.

So, the kids’ art. I’d love to hear how you manage it all.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our toilet roll holder in the kids bathroom broke recently. The boy of the household went out to the shed and made one from a piece of raw timber, dowl with wire on the end to stop roll falling off and finished with a green plant tie to hang on wall. And yes he did hammer a nail in the wall. He was very proud. My first thought was how long is long enough for it to be there. Have new commercially bought holder beside it so hoping to edge it out over the next few weeks.

My tip for art is to photograph or scan and then reduce to photo size and pop into a 'school album' - virtual or not. Also useful for when they have to do that Grade 6 project album of 'life at primary school' which is generally a nightmare for parents who have to find photos, artwork and certificates.

Anonymous said...

At least 40 years!!!!! Some pieces defy relegation to "another space" with that special thing that is "Art".That is why I have a tiny plaster model of a person sitting on a toilet sitting on my kitchen window sill.

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