So what parent, whether homeschooling or not, doesn't struggle with the question of what to do with ALL those school papers? Coloring book pages, A+ worksheets, handwriting practice - the papers just keep on coming! [The above picture is a coloring page of President Nixon that my daughter did at age 4 - very colorful]

Beyond just tossing the papers, another idea is this: gather a few of the best work from your "student" and send it to Grandma or another loved one. Grandparents LOVE getting mail from the grandkids and this way, they get to see some of what the kids are doing in school.

What works best for me is to send about one thing a week to one grandparent (or special someone). I usually include 1 picture my daughter colored/drew along with 1 verse or something that she wrote (seeing the progress she is making in her handwriting is fun to witness). If my son has done any doodling, I include that too. Address it. Stamp it. Stick it in the mail.

I regularly hear back from Grandma and others about how fun it was to receive the artwork. [Pssst: if you homeschool, this is also a way to let grandparents know that yes, you really are accomplishing things in your homeschool].

You can think outside the box on who send these kind of things to. Widows in our church have enjoyed getting a little colored picture and a quick note (written by me) as a way to brighten their day. Grandparents, adopt-a-grandparents, other loved ones who live far away - all would appreciate the occasional smile-by-mail :-) And you win too - you don't have to keep all the extra paper clutter!

It works for me!