Kendra,

What do you do with all of the paper generated in your household from homeschool?  How do you organize it? 

Sincerely,

Debbie

Hi Debbie-

Paper, paper, paper!  It's everywhere.  And if you've read this blog for any significant amount of time, you'll know that I am a merciless tosser of stuff.  I just don't handle clutter well.  I felt rather guilty about that for years in regards to school papers until I noticed a gigantic dumpster at the school where our church meets filled with beautiful projects and lengthy type-written papers at the end of the school year last year.  Well of course!  Where did I think all of my school papers ended up? 

So the short answer is: I toss a lot.  I smile brightly when handed a new drawing (this is a daily occurence) and I praise lavishly for work done well.  I maybe display it for a day or two, sometimes a week or more.  Then if I don't have another immediate use for it (turning it into wrapping paper or notecards for Grandma), I quietly slip it into the trash.  They've yet to notice

My system for keeping significant work is probably not the best or most efficient method, but so far it has worked for us.  We are part of a cover school that does not require us to keep anything, but I do like the idea of a portfolio for grades K-8.  Each year I save just the nicest work or the papers that represent the best work the child has done in each subject.  Then when they reach the end of 6th grade, I have a young woman friend who makes it all look organized and neat and then scans and burns everything onto a disc.  Voila!  A digital portfolio and I can toss the papers to my heart's content.

Hope that's helpful-