Category: Ancestors

The Family History Whiteboard

3/10/2017

How many times per day do you walk by your refrigerator? Too many times to count, right? Have you ever thought of using the fridge for family history? Well, lately, I have been trying to think of easy ways in which to immerse my kids in family history utilizing the daily routines of our lives. And I came up with the family history whiteboard.

I bought this magnetic whiteboard from Amazon, and stuck it on our refrigerator door. On it, I have been posting various family history ephemera along with short descriptions of who and/or what are represented. Here are some examples below (click on each image for larger view):

Here are some ideas of items you can post on your family history whiteboard:

Photos of relatives, past and present
Yearbook pages and report cards
Newspaper articles, including obituaries
Birth, marriage, and death records
Immigration and naturalization papers
Family letters and postcards
Military photos and/or records
Maps of important locations in family history
Photos of gravestones
Photos of family history places, including houses, schools, farms, places of worship, places of employment, and important historical places like, perhaps, Ellis Island
Family recipes (but be prepared to make them!)
Surname origins and meanings

The family history whiteboard can be whatever you make it! You can focus on one family line at a time or mix it up! You can use important family history dates like birthdays and anniversaries to guide you on what to post when. I do recommend leaving each post up for at least a few days at a time, because I think the repetition of seeing it over and over really makes an imprint on our memories.

Another tip: Get a plastic folder pocket and put adhesive magnets on one side. Every month or two, rotate out the items you want to feature on the whiteboard, and keep them in this folder. I stick the folder on the side of the fridge, and pull it out when I want to change the whiteboard.

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

2 Comments

Our Ancestors' Wildest Dreams

2/16/2017

0 Comments

"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.)

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

0 Comments

Magnetic Family Christmas Tree

12/10/2016

0 Comments

Magnetic Family Christmas Tree Craft from GrowingLittleLeavesl.com

It has been awhile since I last posted an idea for a hands-on family tree activity, so this week I created a new one that also incorporates the holiday season. The Magnetic Family Christmas Tree allows children to piece together their family tree like a puzzle, using family photos, magnets, and a pre-made tree template.

For this activity, you will need:
Small individual photos of family members
Magnetic surface
Color printer OR yellow, green and brown construction paper
Magnetic tape
Magnetic buttons
Glue
Laminator (optional)

First, you must create the tree shapes (four green rectangles, brown rectangle and star). I have created templates you can simply print and cut out. If you prefer, you can also use yellow, green and brown construction paper to cut out similar shapes on your own. (Click on either image below to download the two-page template file.)

Magnetic Family Christmas Tree Craft from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

After cutting out these shapes, I laminated each one for extra durability, but this is certainly not necessary. I placed magnetic tape on the back of each shape. Magnetic tape can be found at most craft or big box stores and, for this project, I recommend using the thinnest kind, which comes in a tape roll like this:

Roll of Magnetic Tape

Next, I printed out (and laminated) small headshot photos of my child, her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. This time, I glued thicker and stronger magnetic buttons on the back of each photo. *Magnets can be very harmful if swallowed, so please supervise children who may still put things into their mouths.*

Family Photo with Magnetic Button on Back

And that's it! Now, just locate a metal surface on which the child can arrange the pieces. You can use a refrigerator door, or, my personal favorite for magnet play - a large cookie sheet! The first time I showed my six-year-old daughter, I mixed up all the pieces (see photo) and asked her to help me put them in the right places. She is still a beginning reader, so I had to tell her what the words on the rectangles were, but once she knew that, she did great on her own until we got to the great-grandparent level. (Click on photos for larger view.)

Magnetic Tree Jumble

Completed Magnetic Tree

I helped her with the great-grandparent section and we talked about which great-grandparents were the parents of each grandparent. And soon, we had a finished tree!

This would be a great activity to do when visiting with extended family over the holidays, or it would even make a great handmade gift for the children in your family.

©2016 Emily Kowalski Shroeder

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

0 Comments

Learning Empathy From Our Ancestors' Adversities

11/23/2016

0 Comments

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.)

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.

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

0 Comments

How Genealogy Helps Children Cope With Death

10/28/2016

0 Comments

How Genealogy Helps Children Cope With Death - GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Last week, my husband and his extended family experienced the passing of the family's matriarch, my children's great-grandmother. It was not their first experience with the loss of a loved one, but they still asked many of the normal questions about why people die, what death means, and what happens to our bodies vs. our spirits - normal things you would expect a child to ask.

However, I have been impressed at my kids' maturity in talking openly about death and to seemingly accept it as a part of life, even more than some adults seem to. Could this be because we talk about death (more than the average family) when I teach them about our ancestors and our family's history? Could it be because we take regular visits to cemeteries, and talk about how death is simply a part of life?

Although sorrow will always be a part of coping with the deaths of loved ones, children are not born with an inherent fear of death - it is something they learn from the people around them. Openly and regularly talking about the cycle of life and death makes the subject less taboo and less intimidating to children.

I love creating and using timelines with my children to teach family history, because they help them visualize the complete span of a person's life and the life events included within that span. Death is one of those events - an event that none of us completely understand from a spiritual perspective. But seeing death as a life event common to every person who has come before us is a powerful thing to be able to visualize, especially for a child. Understanding the universality of death and mourning doesn't necessarily make us less sad or angry when someone we love dies, but I do think it gives us a greater sense of acceptance and closure, especially if we believe in some version of a spiritual afterlife.

And as genealogists, we deal heavily in memories, especially memories of loved ones who are no longer with us in the flesh. I'm always sharing memories of my grandparents with my children, and I've now encouraged them to discuss memories of their deceased great-grandparents, as a way to keep them "alive" within us.

Our family does not share Mexican ancestry, but one of my favorite holidays that has elements which I think every family should embrace is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Drawing on both indigenous and Catholic traditions, Dia de lost Meurtos festivities remember, celebrate, and welcome back the spirits of dead loved ones. Family members build altars (ofrendas) to honor their ancestors and visit cemeteries to clean and decorate grave sites. Though individual traditions can vary from place to place, most Día de los Muertos festivities generally take on a happy, celebratory tone, instead of a mournful one.

I am curious as to what other people think. Do you think that regularly discussing our ancestors with our children can help them process the mystery of death any better than children who don't know anything about their family history?

As always, thanks for reading! If you are interested in learning more about Día de los Muertos, check out these links below!

Kid-Friendly Resources About Día de los Muertos:
Teacher Page - MexicanSugarSkull.com
Day of the Dead - Smithsonian Latino Center
Día de los Muertos - National Geographic Society
Day of the Dead - National Geographic Kids
Day of the Dead History, Activities, and Resources - ArtIsFun.com

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

0 Comments

Identifying Female Ancestors: Name Change Flashcards & Matching Game

10/21/2016

0 Comments

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!

Name Change Flashcard: One Marriage

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.

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

0 Comments

Ancestor Cootie Catcher

8/17/2016

0 Comments

Ancestor Cootie Catcher from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Cootie catcher, fortune teller...no matter what you called them as a kid, they were a lot of fun. Kids today still make them and play with them, so I thought, why not incorporate a little family history into it?

First, you have to make one. There are many resources online that show you how to do it, so I will simply post a video of one of the better demonstrations I have found. There are no verbal instructions in this video, but just make sure you start with a completely square sheet of paper before you begin. I used a 12"x12" sheet of scrapbooking cardstock, which makes the cootie catcher nice and big and is more sturdy than just using ordinary paper. If you would prefer written instructions with still photos, click on this link for a good tutorial.

Once the cootie catcher is made, you should have four separate "flaps" when you look into the center of it. On each of these flaps, I glued a photo and the name of a grandparent. Then, underneath each of those flaps, I glued the photos and names of that grandparent's mom and dad (the child's great-grandparents). Here is a video of the cootie catcher in action, so you can see how the great-grandparents are placed beneath their child's flap.

This activity is just another easy, hands-on way to get kids to recognize photos and names of their relatives. You also could do this with cousins, siblings, or even make several for different branches of the family tree. These would be fun to make at a family reunion, and they are very open-ended, so you could make up trivia or storytelling games with them or, for older kids, even put different trivia facts on the flaps next to each photo. Lots of possibilities, so be creative with it!

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

0 Comments

Family Tree in a Tin

7/31/2016

6 Comments

Family Tree in a Tin #genealogy activity from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

If you are a 'pinner' on Pinterest, chances are that you may have come across some pretty creative ways in which to reuse Altoids mint tins. In the past, I have used them to make portable tic-tac-toe games and Lego building kits for my kids, and I've been thinking, "Why not use one to make a portable family tree?" So I did!

In addition to a clean, empty mint tin, I also used family photos and the mini double alligator clip connector pieces. I purchased them here at Amazon, but you also may be able to find them at craft or hobby stores. The connector pieces are two small alligator clips that are connected by a small ring in the center. They are about 2 1/2" in total length, and it's important that you get these small ones, because anything larger will not fit into the tin. Be sure to keep them away from any children who may still put things into their mouths, because I would consider them a choking hazard.

Family Tree in a Tin from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

For the family member "cards," I created this template using Microsoft Publisher; when you cut out these cards along the black lines, they will fit exactly into the mint tin. If you click on the image, you can download a free PDF of the templates. OR, if it is easier for you to insert digital photos directly into the document before printing, I have included a link to download the Microsoft Publisher file itself.

Click on image to be directed to a downloadable FREE PDF.

family_tree_in_a_tin.pub
File Size:	249 kb
File Type:	pub

Download File

On the top line of each card, I wrote a relationship word. On the bottom two lines, I wrote each individual's name, using maiden names for the women. I printed the cards out on regular printer paper, and then laminated them. If you choose not to laminate, I recommend printing the cards out on a heavier cardstock for durability purposes. The alligator clips have a pretty firm grip, and using a heavier cardstock will definitely keep the cards from tearing. (If you do not have a laminator, most office supply stores will laminate for a small fee.)

To make a family tree from the child back to their great-grandparents, you will need 15 people cards and 14 clips. It sounds like a lot, but it all fits very well into the tin as you can see in the image below.

Also, included within the PDF and Publisher files are several options for a cover image for the tin. Simply cut out and glue your favorite to the front of the tin.

Here is a better close-up image of how we attached the alligator clips to each card and to each other. The clips are a little stiff to open and close right out of the package, but get a bit looser the more you play around with them. My five-year-old daughter was able to open and close them, but it definitely took some effort on her part, while my eight-year-old son found it pretty easy to do. These little clips are great for strengthening fine motor muscles and for practicing fine motor coordination. For younger children, I recommend making connector strips using self-adhesive Velcro dots, which would be much easier for small hands to manipulate.

And there you have it - an interactive, hands-on family tree that can fit in a pocket or purse! As always, this activity can be found on the Activities page of GrowingLittleLeaves.com

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

6 Comments

Pipe Cleaner Family Tree

6/26/2016

0 Comments

Pipe Cleaner Family Tree from GrowingLittleLeaves.com

Need a quick, easy, and inexpensive activity for the kids this summer? How about one that also involves family history? The pipe cleaner family tree is one of the quickest family tree projects I've ever put together with my children and it is so simple that even the youngest genealogist can help put it together.

You will need:
*12-inch pipe cleaners (some craft stores now call them chenille stems), preferably in two colors
*White electrical tape
*Scissors
*Pen or marker

Designate one color for males and the other color for females. Simply twist two pipe cleaners together at the bottom to make couples. Then, take the appropriate color for the next male or female direct descendant and wrap that around the couple's twist at the bottom.

All of this twisting is a great way for kids to practice their fine motor skills. My daughter really enjoyed doing it. We did four generations (up to great-grandparents), but if you have enough pipe cleaners, you could easily add more generations.

Next, we cut off pieces of white electrical tape and wrapped one around each pipe cleaner. These became the "name tags." On the front of each piece of tape, I wrote relationship words like, Mom, Grandpa, and Great-Grandma. Then, on the back, I wrote that individual's first and last names (maiden names for the women). As you are labeling these individuals, this is a great time to also pull out old photos and/or talk a little more in-depth about who these people are/were and maybe share some of your favorite memories of them with your child.

I hope that everyone enjoys this activity and continues to have a safe and happy summer! Remember that you can find all Growing Little Leaves crafts and activities at this link.

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

0 Comments

#MyColorfulAncestry for Kids

3/30/2016

6 Comments

#MyColorfulAncestry for Kids // GrowingLittleLeaves.com

A week or so ago, a genealogist by the name of J. Paul Hawthorne posted an image of five generations of his ancestry, which was color-coded by birthplace. Well, his idea (and his Excel template) went viral, and genealogists have been creating their own colorful ancestry charts and posting them on social media. (Read more about it and download the free template on J. Paul Hawthorne's blog, GeneaSpy.)

Instead of making one for my own ancestry, I decided to go one generation forward and make one for my kids. And instead of limiting it to five generations, I completed the chart until I reached the 'immigrant' generation of each line. As you can see, my kids' Ohio roots run deep, but they also claim ancestors from seven separate present-day European countries. In other words, this is a great opportunity to use their ancestry to teach them some European geography.

My daughter loves to color, so she used colored pencils to fill in the states and countries listed on the chart onto blank, black-and-white political maps. There are lots of free, printable map resources out there on the Internet, but my favorite one is the Maps section of SuperColoring.com.

The color I used for each location on the chart is the same color my daughter used to color that location with. Visually, I think it helps her connect the chart more with the map than if we had used different colors. Feel free to talk about the locations and the individual ancestors as much or as little as your child will tolerate. Perhaps hang the colorful maps in their room or playroom as a reminder of where they come from. :-)