Growing Little Leaves: Family History for Children - Growing Little Leaves: Genealogy for Children

Jack O Lantern Family Tree

9/15/2017

Jack O'Lantern FREE Family Tree Printable from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

I was going to wait until later in October to post this new little family tree printable, but I thought I would do so earlier, so people would have plenty of time to use it as Halloween approaches. It's pretty simple; the child's name goes in the box at the bottom, and then his/her parents,' grandparents,' and great-grandparents' names are written within the other boxes. (Great-grandparent couples must share their box.)

There is a version both with and without the little black cat peeking out from behind the child's jack-o'-lantern. My daughter wanted a kitty in hers, so that's how it ended up there. (Click on either image to download the two-page PDF with both versions.)

Jack O' Lantern FREE Family Tree Printable from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Jack O'Lantern FREE Family Tree Printable from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Sometimes it's fun for kids to visualize a family 'tree' in different ways, so I thought my kids would enjoy this new take on a genealogy chart and I'm happy to pass it on to you! Enjoy!

©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Our Ancestors' Wildest Dreams

2/16/2017

"I am my ancestors' wildest dreams."

Our Ancestors' Wildest Dreams // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Have you seen this quote? Powerful, isn't it? From the best I can tell, this statement originated with Brandan Odums, a visual artist, activist, and filmmaker from New Orleans. The statement originated in his artwork and can now be found on t-shirts and prints, which you can purchase here.

When we say that something is in our 'wildest dreams,' we are usually talking about something SO out-of-reach, SO absurd, that it is just ridiculous to ever conceive of it happening. When we think about what our ancestors' 'wildest dreams' were when they were alive, we finally get a sense of how far we have progressed, within both our society and our individual families, through the generations.

What were our ancestors' wildest dreams?
Freedom
Equality
Respect
Acceptance
A Voice
Safety
Shelter
Education
Work and Financial Independence
Health Care
Sanitation

Overall, our ancestors' deepest, wildest dreams were that their descendants would somehow have it better than they did, and that their children would continue to strive to help the next generation achieve more through the years.

That list above are things that most of us take for granted on a regular basis. But they were out of reach to many of our ancestors. (And' unfortunately, they are still out of reach to many people throughout the world today.)

I want to write this statement on my kids' school folders, so that they see it every day. It's a strong reminder that encourages appreciation and gratitude for the sacrifices, sufferings, and works of our ancestors. When I read it, I am humbled. But the statement also brings to me a sense of self-worth and a unique feeling of importance, knowing that I am the fulfillment of another person's dreams and hard work of the past. It is empowering. This statement has the ability to boost the self-esteem and motivation of anyone who may be struggling with questions of identity or purpose, or for those longing for a connection to something bigger than themselves.

I've designed a short one-page writing lesson for kids (upper-elementary and above) to help them think about this concept a little bit more. My hopes are that completing these questions will give kids a better perspective of how they fit into their family's story, encourage them to think more about the sacrifices and struggles of family members who persevered before them, and maybe even remind them of their duty to the next generation. (Click on image to download.)

Our Ancestors' Wildest Dreams // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Learning Empathy From Our Ancestors' Adversities

11/23/2016

Helping Kids Learn Empathy From Our Ancestors' Adversities (And A Call To Action) with FREE Worksheet Download from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Tomorrow, here in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving. We reflect on the blessings we've received over the past year, visit with loved ones, and enjoy a good meal.

Hopefully, at these family gatherings, we also remember the loved ones who are no longer with us. As genealogists, through our research, we know all too well how much our ancestors sacrificed and struggled over the decades and centuries to make our modern freedoms and comforts possible.

When teaching our children family history, I advocate sharing with them the good stories as well as the bad. Research has shown that children who know more about the full spectrum of their ancestors' experiences (the triumphs AND the struggles), have more self-confidence and bounce back from adversity better than children who know little of their family's past.

I am also an advocate of using the stories from our family histories to promote within our children modern-day empathy for the people around them and the trials they face everyday. In addition, we want that empathy to lead to action, right? We want our children to not only empathize with others in times of trouble, but to want to help them as well.

This two-page worksheet set is designed to help kids make that connection between an ancestor's story and the difficult life events sometimes experienced by those around them. How can I help a child whose parent just lost his/her job? How can I bring happiness to a someone who is sick and stuck in a hospital? How can I help a classmate who is criticized because of a foreign accent, skin color, or religious beliefs? How can I help a family who just lost a loved one? The list goes on and on. (Click on either image to download the two-page PDF.)

Helping Kids Learn Empathy From Our Ancestors' Adversities (And A Call To Action) with FREE Worksheet Download from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Helping Kids Learn Empathy From Our Ancestors' Adversities (And A Call To Action) with FREE Worksheet Download from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

I hope you find these worksheets useful, and, as always, they will be listed on the Printables page for FREE download. Happy Thanksgiving!

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. All rights reserved.

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Identifying Female Ancestors: Name Change Flashcards & Matching Game

10/21/2016

Identifying Female Ancestors: Name Change Flashcards & Matching Game from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Let's face it - keeping female name changes straight in our family trees can be confusing for even the most experienced genealogists. Imagine our children's confusion, then, when we introduce them to the women in their family tree, and they are confronted with the fact that one female ancestor had two or more surnames in her lifetime.

I've created a printable for making female ancestor flashcards that can help a child associate one woman with her different surnames. The printables have a place for a photo, and also spaces in which to write both a woman's birth name and her married name. (And there is even a template if a woman was married more than once.)

There are a couple of ways in which you can use these templates:

Idea #1: Cut along the solid black perimeter lines only. Place a photo of a female ancestor or living female relative in the square below. Then, write her full birth and married names on the appropriate lines. Fold along the dotted lines to make a handy, foldable flashcard.

Idea #2: Cut out along ALL lines, completely separating each square and rectangle from the others. Using the pieces from at least several different women, ask the child to match each photo to the correct names. You can place magnets on the backs of the pieces to make a fun fridge game!

These would be great activities for kids to do at a family reunion!

Identifying Female Ancestors: Name Change Flashcards & Matching Game from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Name Change Flashcard: One Marriage

Identifying Female Ancestors: Name Change Flashcards & Matching Game from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Name Change Flashcard: Two Marriages

(Click on either image above to be directed to a downloadable PDF that includes both templates. For added durability, I recommend printing on cardstock.)

And, hey, if you have a woman in your family tree who married more than twice, let me know and I will make a foldable flash card template appropriate for her!

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. All rights reserved. Worksheets and printables for personal use only and may not be reproduced or redistributed without written consent of owner.

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Celebrating Female Ancestors

3/9/2016

Celebrating Female Ancestors // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

March is Women's History Month, so it's a great time to talk with kids about not only famous women in history, but also the women in each of our individual family histories. And, like women in general history, the women in our family histories often do not get the proper credit they deserve for the influential roles they played in shaping our families.

My daughter is only five years old, but even at this young age, I want her begin to develop a sense of how far women's rights have come in a relatively short amount of time. She already knows that she can become anything she wants to be in life, but I want her to realize that the female ancestors whose genes she shares did not have opportunities to vote or attend school or own property. Yet those women still exhibited strength, talent, fortitude, and perseverance in everyday situations that helped their families survive and thrive.

I created a simple worksheet my kids and I could complete together that would give us a jumping-off point for this discussion. It's not meant to be a long, comprehensive writing exercise, but instead a way for kids to simply list some of the accomplishments of a female ancestor.

Talking about female accomplishments of the past will likely involve teaching your kids a little about what life was like in the time and location in which their ancestors lived. For example, raising eight children in a poor farming family in the 1800s was a major accomplishment involving lots of manual labor, cooking, and gardening skills. Being able to sew or quilt or embroider was not only a nice artistic talent to have, but could also help clothe your family and raise money from the sale of your creations. So, while most women who lived 100 years ago didn't have jobs outside of the home, they contributed critical skills to their families and communities.

For this exercise, I told my daughter the story of Anna Rasing Tumbusch, one of her 3rd great-grandmothers. Anna sailed to the U.S. from Germany in 1861 and settled in western Ohio. Making that decision to leave one's home country for a new land shows courage, and we talked about it as a major life accomplishment. Unfortunately, Anna's husband, Theodor, passed away when he was only 36 years old. She never remarried and raised four children alone AND ran the small family farm alone as well. I helped my daughter write these down on the worksheet, and tried to explain to her how much strength this woman must have had to keep her family going from day to day.

Celebrating Female Ancestors // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

So, please feel free to download the worksheet below and use it to start a discussion about the women in your family tree. (Click on image below for PDF.)

Celebrating Female Ancestors // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. May not be reproduced or redistributed without written consent of owner.

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Place Your Ancestor in History

11/1/2015

One of the great things about teaching kids about their ancestors is that it almost always is a great launching point to discuss the world, national and local historical events that occurred when those ancestors lived. I created a worksheet to help you and your kids organize and visualize an ancestor's life against historical events. Of course, filling in the right side of this worksheet will take a little research, but upper-elementary students will have no trouble digging up some history online and lower elementary students can engage in online research, too, with a little help from an adult.

Fortunately, there are a LOT of great kid-oriented history books, videos, websites, blog posts, etc. and one of my missions at Growing Little Leaves is to create a one-stop kid-friendly cultural and history reference database on Pinterest where all of these sources are compiled. You check out Growing Little Leaves' profile below and follow along - I scour the Internet regularly and try to update my boards often with new material!

As always, this worksheet is FREE to download. Click on the image below to download a PDF.

Place Your Ancestor in History FREE Worksheet by GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Place Your Ancestor in History FREE Worksheet

Try filling out this worksheet for several ancestors in the same time period and compare and contrast the historical events that may have influenced (or not influenced) all of the ancestors. Obviously, historical events can be anything from wars to politics to cultural events to inventions. Try to encourage kids to think about all aspects of life when searching for events to include on the worksheet. And have a world and national maps handy may help when discussing some of the events you find.

This printable and all others are always available for download on the Printables page of GrowingLittleLeaves.com

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Recording Ancestor Data: My Mexican Ancestor

9/16/2015

Today, September 16, is Mexico's Independence Day (El Grito). Here is a new set of 'My Mexican Ancestor' worksheets. As always, there are male and female versions, both with and without the option of recording your sources. Click on each image to be directed to a downloadable PDF.

My Mexican Ancestor FREE Worksheets from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My Mexican Ancestor: Female With Notes

My Mexican Ancestor FREE Worksheets // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My Mexican Ancestor: Female Without Notes

My Mexican Ancestor FREE Worksheets from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My Mexican Ancestor: Male With Notes

My Mexican Ancestor FREE Worksheets from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My Mexican Ancestor: Male Without Notes

All 'Recording Ancestor Data' worksheets can be found at this link on GrowingLittleLeaves.com

©2015 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. Worksheets for personal use only. Do not reproduce or redistribute without written consent of owner.

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Drawing Ancestor Jobs

9/6/2015

On September 7, the United States and Canada celebrate Labo(u)r Day. It's a great time to use this day off of work and school to talk with kids about their ancestors' occupations. Of course, there are many jobs of the past that do not even exist these days (or some that are not much in the public eye), so talking about some of these jobs with kids can be educational in and of itself.

I created a very simple worksheet to make the conversation more hands-on for children. There is a place to write the ancestor's name and occupation, and then a larger area in which the child can draw a picture of that ancestor doing their job. (Click on the image below to download the PDF.)

Ancestor Jobs FREE Worksheet by GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Ancestor Jobs Worksheet

My second grader loves to draw, so he was eager to do this. First, I showed him a snippet from the 1860 U.S. Census. I told him who this was in terms he could understand - 'Great-Grandma's Great-Grandpa' - and showed him the column that listed each person's occupation.

Ancestor Jobs Worksheet by GrowingLittleLeaves.com

1860 U.S. Census for John M. Drees

I asked him if he knew what a Blacksmith did. He said, "A guy who makes swords and armor." (Apparently, there are medieval-type blacksmiths in the Minecraft video game, which is where he got this knowledge.) I told him that at the time and place during which this particular ancestor lived, blacksmiths made things like horseshoes, farming tools, and building supplies like nails or bolts.

We sat down and used our iPad to search for images of the tools Blacksmiths used in their work. For example, he did not know what an anvil was or what it looked like, so that's one of the things we looked up.

Ancestor Jobs with FREE Worksheet by GrowingLittleLeaves.com

We Googled images of Blacksmith tools.

Here is his completed worksheet. He still drew the blacksmith making a sword. :-)

Ancestor Jobs Worksheet // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Ancestor Jobs Worksheet

This is another one of those activities you could complete for many ancestors, and then compile the worksheets into a folder or binder to have a nice ancestor record set to look at again and again. And I think the kids would have fun going back through their drawings and would hopefully feel some pride in their work.

May you and your family have a wonderful, relaxing Labo(u)r Day!

©2015 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Recording Ancestor Data: A Nonlinear Approach

8/4/2015

Genealogists love tables and charts, am I right? We love ordering facts in chronological order in neat little forms and tidy family sheets. However, if you show most young children some of these organizational tables and forms, their interest in recording family history flies right out the window.
I was recently trying to think of 'out-of-the-box' ways in which to get younger school-aged children into writing down facts about their ancestors, without the structure and tedium of line-after-line tables. I came up with what I like to call the 'Ancestor Fact Circle.' As you can see, it is very simple. There is a place for the ancestor's name at the top as well as how he/she is related to the child ('great-grandmother', 'father', etc.) There is a small inner circle for a photo. The rest of the space within the larger circle is for the child to write down facts about this person.

Ancestor Fact Circle FREE Worksheet // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Ancestor Fact Circle (Click to download.)

What facts should the child write down? That's what I love about this sheet - it is completely open-ended. You could sit down with the child and pull facts from census schedules or birth records or family Bibles. Or, you could tell the child to go up to Grandpa and ask him five or so facts about himself. The idea is to get the child thinking about and writing about the ancestors in his/her family without it seeming like a rigid or overly-involved homework project. You could even use different colored pens or markers to make it look more vibrant and colorful.

Once you complete these sheets for several ancestors, use a three-ring hole punch, and put them all in a little binder for the child. It's an easy way to make a little family history journal that they can look at again and again. In the future, if they learn something new about a particular ancestor, it would be easy for them to add that fact to the worksheet.

Here are a couple of sample worksheets that I filled out with very basic information:

Ancestor Fact Circle FREE Worksheet from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Completed Ancestor Fact Circle

Ancestor Fact Circle Worksheet FREE from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Completed Ancestor Fact Circle

As always, this worksheet is FREE for all to download for personal use. Click on the image of the blank worksheet above to be directed to a PDF. You can download this, as well as all of my other free printables, from the Printables page of GrowingLittleLeaves.com.

©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder. Worksheets for personal use only. Do not reproduce or redistributed without written consent of owner.

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Recording Ancestor Data: My French Ancestor

7/14/2015

Today, July 14, is Bastille Day, France's National Day. If, like my husband's family, your family traces roots back to France, then please feel free to download these worksheets to use with the children in your family. These worksheets are designed for American families to use, but, if you are, say, Canadian with French roots, let me know and I will change the wording on the worksheets just for you!

As always, there are male and female versions, both with and without the option of having the child record their sources of information. A worksheet for recording your sources, if you choose to do so, can be downloaded here.

My French Ancestor FREE Worksheets // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My French Ancestor: Female With Notes

My French Ancestor FREE Worksheets // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My French Ancestor: Female Without Notes

My French Ancestor FREE Worksheets // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My French Ancestor: Male With Notes

My French Ancestor FREE Worksheets // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

My French Ancestor: Male Without Notes

These worksheets are a great way to get kids into the habit of recording important information about their ancestors. Other ancestor worksheets can be found here at GrowingLittleLeaves.com.

©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder. For personal use only. May not be reproduced or redistributed without written consent of owner.

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