Dcks' artwork and crafts

[Josiegirl]

Just out of curiosity, how much do you all do with the kids? I stick to mainly holiday and/or seasonal things that you can make cute crafts out of. But we do lots of drawing, some painting, cutting, etc. Do you send everything home? I just took down all the things we'd done for Halloween and sent them home today. Maybe I should have staggered them. Some parents give off a vibe IYKWIM. It doesn't seem like they care if their kids do artwork, projects, paint, or whatever.
I need to find a happy balance. Where is that?
One dcd kinda made a remark today about it would be just as easy for me to recycle the stuff as him. With some dcps I'd be offended but this dcf has a great sense of humor so I know the dcd was trying to be funny. But it makes me wonder how much is too much? When is it not enough?

[ColorfulSunburst]

Don't send to parents any art during a year. They can see all children's art on a board. But I collect all children art in folders. Parents will get a folder of own kid in the end of a school year.

[Baby Beluga]

We do some form of art every day and I send it home that same day.

[midaycare]

I do a lot of nice crafts, at least 3 days a week. But I view them as learning opportunities, too. Learning how to cut, color, paint, glue, use fine motor, etc.

Most dcf's like seeing the work, but I have one who really doesn't care. Then again, one of my dcf's decorates their house entirely in dcb's artwork from here.

I send it home as soon as it's done. I want dcf's to know what we are working on.

[KSDC]

We do some form of art every day and I send it home that same day.

Same here.
Some days it is as simple as letting them color on a blank piece of paper, some days it is much more involved. Some are child lead, some are more teacher led. We do at least one hands-on, fine motor control activity everyday. Most have an "end-product" that I send them home the same day.

Some parents cherish every item I send. Some throw them in the back seat for weeks. But, I don't do them for the parents. I do them for the kids. Because each one strengthens muscles, encourages creativity and imagination, helps with concepts such as colors, shapes, sorting, ordering...

I love art and craft time at my DC!

[Josiegirl]

Same here.
Some days it is as simple as letting them color on a blank piece of paper, some days it is much more involved. Some are child lead, some are more teacher led. We do at least one hands-on, fine motor control activity everyday. Most have an "end-product" that I send them home the same day.

Some parents cherish every item I send. Some throw them in the back seat for weeks. But, I don't do them for the parents. I do them for the kids. Because each one strengthens muscles, encourages creativity and imagination, helps with concepts such as colors, shapes, sorting, ordering...

I love art and craft time at my DC!

See, that's why I do them too and the kids love what they're doing, are proud of their work and want to show it off to their parents or they make them for their parents. I'm one of those parents who saved too much of their kids' work and now has to go back and clean it out so I see it from a different angle.

[Controlled Chaos]

I am lucky, my current dcps are really cute about their kids' art work. They really treasure it...even the scribbles on a blank piece of paper. I try and send home something everyday. I think it helps parents and kids reconnect at the end of the day, it is a way from the start chatting about dcks day. There is one family who I think trashes their kids work, or it gets left in the car, but I don't mind. It is about the experience of doing it for the child and about the presentation of the learning experience to the parent (from a business standpoint for me).

I was the worst when my DD went to a center, when I was steal teaching. Everything got left in the car I throw stuff out. I just hate storing stuff. I am the anti pack rat BUT just because I don't scrap book it and store it forever, doesn't mean I don't value that my child created something, or that I don't value the person who helped them create it.

[hsdcmama]

Some of our projects/crafts go home the same day, and some get tacked up on a special bulletin board right by the front door where the parents and kids can see their artwork each day. Or I put them up around the room. I tend to leave those ones up for a couple weeks, especially if it is a seasonal craft. The kids really like being able to admire their artwork each day. When I need space for another craft, I send all that home.

I don't really worry about whether the parents like what we're doing; I only have 2 families right now, and they are generally great parents -- but honestly most days they are too tired/frazzled or distracted by work to even notice what we've done that day unless their child points it out. That doesn't bother me, I get it -- by the end of the day/week I can be tired and distracted too! My focus is on the kids and their development in the long-run. I think it's more the accumulation of the crafts & projects that shows how the child is progressing, and the kids are happy come here each day so that's enough in the parent's eyes.

[CraftyMom]

Same here.
Some days it is as simple as letting them color on a blank piece of paper, some days it is much more involved. Some are child lead, some are more teacher led.

Some parents cherish every item I send. Some throw them in the back seat for weeks. But, I don't do them for the parents. I do them for the kids. Because each one strengthens muscles, encourages creativity and imagination, helps with concepts such as colors, shapes, sorting, ordering...

I love art and craft time at my DC!

This! I don't send them home every day though. Most, yes. But some get hung around the room for a week or two before sending them home

[Kimskiddos]

We do some form of art every day and I send it home that same day.

This is how I do it also.

I will hang seasonal/holiday art on the walls and send home when I am ready to put up new ones. So yes, sometimes they carry home a handful. Happily I think most of mine enjoy the projects and art.