Last weekend, Growing Little Leaves, in conjunction with the Indiana Historical Society, held its first children's educational cemetery program. The event took place at Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery. About a dozen children, ranging in ages from four and a half years to young teenagers, along with their caretakers, participated in the two-hour program.
We started out by talking a little bit about what a cemetery is and what people do at a cemetery. Most of the kids HAD visited a cemetery before, which was great news, but for most of them, it was their first visit to Crown Hill. Then, we talked about what kinds of important information we can learn from gravestones, and how that information can be helpful in learning about a particular person or family. I explained that symbols on gravestones can also tell us a lot about a deceased person's life - perhaps what organizations s/he may have belonged to or what s/he may have done for a living.
I designed some 'cemetery hunt' worksheets for the kids to get them looking more closely at the information on the gravestones, but before we started the search, we discussed cemetery safety and etiquette. I created a simple handout for them listing important rules when visiting a cemetery, and most of these rules can be applied when visiting any cemetery:
We started out by talking a little bit about what a cemetery is and what people do at a cemetery. Most of the kids HAD visited a cemetery before, which was great news, but for most of them, it was their first visit to Crown Hill. Then, we talked about what kinds of important information we can learn from gravestones, and how that information can be helpful in learning about a particular person or family. I explained that symbols on gravestones can also tell us a lot about a deceased person's life - perhaps what organizations s/he may have belonged to or what s/he may have done for a living.
I designed some 'cemetery hunt' worksheets for the kids to get them looking more closely at the information on the gravestones, but before we started the search, we discussed cemetery safety and etiquette. I created a simple handout for them listing important rules when visiting a cemetery, and most of these rules can be applied when visiting any cemetery:
The hunt lasted about 15-20 minutes. We stayed in only one section of the cemetery, so that we could easily reconvene. After the search, we were given a tour by one of Crown Hill's knowledgeable guides. He told us a little more about the history of the cemetery, and gave the kids a short lesson on how to find particular graves using the section maps that the cemetery office has on file. He took us around to the graves of some of the more well-known people buried in that area of the cemetery, including author James Whitcomb Riley, where he read us one of his poems at his grave site.
After the guide's tour was over, we came back together as a group and I showed the kids a bunch of 4x6 inch photos of unique gravestones and symbols that I had taken throughout this and other cemeteries. We talked a little bit about religious, fraternal organization ('clubs' for grown-ups), ethnic, military, and occupational symbols and engravings. I showed them photos from modern-day stones depicting intricate portraits, landscapes, and symbols related to a person's likes, talents, and/or hobbies. I really hope the kids came out of the program with a better sense of just how much they can learn in a cemetery, and how valuable cemeteries are in learning about the history of a place and its people.
If you'd like to hear more details about our program, please feel free to contact me. A program like this could be done in ANY cemetery, and I'd love to see more genealogical and historical societies offer them for children in their areas.
©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder
If you'd like to hear more details about our program, please feel free to contact me. A program like this could be done in ANY cemetery, and I'd love to see more genealogical and historical societies offer them for children in their areas.
©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder