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Family History Pictionary

2/18/2019

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Family History Pictionary // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
My 8-year-old daughter is really, really into playing board games right now, so that has made me think a little bit more about how I might be able to adapt popular board games into family history games. So, today's post is about a way in which to create a family history Pictionary-type game. This is NOT an original idea of mine; I've seen it mentioned on other family history websites, most recently this one at The Family History Guide. This blog post is just my individual take on the idea, so I hope you find it helpful.

For those of you who have never played Pictionary, it is a very simple, easy-to-play game in which a person attempts to get their teammate(s) to guess a something based on the pictures he/she draws. The team only has a limited amount of time in which to guess what the illustrator is drawing, and no numbers or letters are allowed in drawings.

The commercial version of Pictionary comes with a board on which each team moves game pieces around, but that's really not necessary in the simplest form of the game. All you need is at least two teams, a pencil and pad of paper, a way to keep time, and cards each illustrator must blindly choose from to know what to draw. Before you begin, decide on how many rounds you will play, and the team with the most correct guesses wins!

What goes on the cards? This is where we can tailor the game to fit our own family history. Below, I will list some ideas for different categories and different things that you can put on the cards for people to draw. Just like in real Pictionary, you will find that some words turn out to be more difficult to draw and guess than others. When playing with kids, I recommend making sure they are on teams with other adults, and allowing those adults to "coach" them if they have questions about how to draw a particular clue.

-Occupations and occupational tools
-Military branches
-Places: cities, towns, states, countries, ports of departure and entry
-Historical events and institutions: wars, migrations, or specific events your ancestors may have participated in (Examples: Boston Tea Party, Underground Railroad)
-Modes of travel and migration routes your ancestors used: Horse, wagon, steamship, sailing ship, train, canal boat, walking, streetcar, Oregon Trail, Erie Canal
-Hobbies
-Food
-General genealogical records and words: birth, marriage, death, baptism, cemetery headstone, journal, photos, newspaper, yearbook, citizenship, city/town directory, passport

Using Microsoft Publisher, I've created some basic, customizable, cards that you can fill in to create your own family history Pictionary game. I've done a few sample ones based on my own family history to give you an idea of how they work. On the top of the card is the word or phrase that must be drawn and guessed. On the bottom of the card is a small space where you can write HOW that relates to your family history. So, after time has expired, and whether or not the team has properly guessed the word/phrase, you can read that short sentence to the entire group and learn some facts about your family history and ancestors. These facts could pertain to life-changing events in your ancestors' lives, or more simple things like hobbies, games, or foods they enjoyed.

Sample Family History Pictionary Cards // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
So, please feel free to download this file below. You will need Microsoft Publisher to open and edit it. All of the cards are blank and ready to be edited by you. (You can also change size and type of font, if you want to.) Once you have your cards written and printed,  I do recommend that you laminate them for durability. This would be a great game to play at any family reunion or other larger family gathering. 
pictionary_cards.pub
File Size: 242 kb
File Type: pub
Download File

©2019 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Genealogy Word Puzzles

1/31/2019

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Genealogy Word Puzzles // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Anyone else ready for spring yet? My kids were off of school for the last two days, and with below-zero temperatures, we have a bad case of cabin fever. I created a couple of word puzzles to pass some time and I thought I'd share them with you, too. The first is simply a genealogy word search. This is a great puzzle for parents/grandparents and kids to do concurrently, so kids have a person to ask when they might not know what some of these different words mean, or how they are related to family history. (Click on images to download PDFs.)

The other one is a crossword puzzle that I created using the website ArmoredPenguin.com. They have a nice, free crossword puzzle generator.  While the answers to the crossword clues are all likely to be words that elementary-aged kids know and have heard within the context of their own families, the clues will likely really make them think, and will hopefully help them to understand these relationships in a larger context.

Genealogy Word Search FREE Printable // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Family Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Here is the key to the crossword puzzle:
family_vocab_crossword_key.pdf
File Size: 8 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Grandparent Butterflies

8/18/2017

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Grandparent Butterflies from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
It has been a little while since I have created a genealogy activity that gets back to the basics of teaching children about who is in their family tree and how they are related to those people. Grandparents are treasured members of a child's extended family from the day they are born, so I decided to create a simple 'Grandparent Butterfly' template that can be used for a couple of activities, which I will explain below.  

The template consists of a simple butterfly body and, when you cut the two hearts down the middle, four butterfly, 'wings.' The simplest way in which to use this template is to write a person's name on the butterfly body, and then write the name of one of the person's four grandparents on each wing. You could even add photos to the butterfly wings, if you have them.  Encourage your children to use their creativity when coloring the butterfly parts. Then, glue the parts together and display them somewhere in your home. This is an easy family home evening idea that can get your children talking about their grandparents and learning their grandparents' birth names, something that most younger children do not know.

And make sure you and your spouse make one as well, and explain to your children how your grandparents are their GREAT-grandparents. If you want to make the activity more of a challenge for older children, give them a name of an ancestor from farther back in your family tree, and see if they can make a butterfly with that person's grandparents. It's sure to get them looking at pedigree charts!

I also think this could be a GREAT activity/game to use at family reunions or any other large family group gatherings: 

1.) Each family member is given a butterfly body, on which is written one family member's or ancestor's name.

2.) Scattered in a pile, or hidden around the house or other gathering place, are butterfly ‘wings,’ on each of which is written the name of another family member, alive or deceased, who are or were grandparents. Because one person might be grandparent to many people, make sure you have multiple copies of that person’s name written on wings. Use maiden names for the women.

3.) The goal is for each person to find the four grandparents of the person whose name is written on the butterfly’s body. Rules are up to you; you can have people work in teams or individually. I would definitely partner younger children with a teen or adult.

4.) Color the butterfly parts before gluing on the wings, and display them together for everyone to see. You could put them on a large poster board, a length of butcher paper, or string them into a colorful bunting.

The family reunion game will require more planning and maybe even some research, because some people's grandparents will not be blood-relatives to everyone at the reunion. (I think that would be fun though - I still love learning about my cousins' grandparents who aren't related to me.)  You can make it as complicated or simple as you'd like.

The template is two pages long, and can be downloaded by clicking on either image below.
 

Grandparent Butterflies // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Grandparent Butterflies // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
I have not yet had the chance to try this at a family reunion, so if you do, send me a message and let me know how it goes!

©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Family Vocabulary Penguins

3/11/2017

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Family Relationship Word Penguins from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
When I started Growing Little Leaves in 2014, my kids were (obviously) younger than they are today. If you search through my blog posts, you will see an evolution in activities, from basic, preschool-focused ideas to the more recent activities, which involve reading and writing. Well, it's time to get back to activities that engage and educate younger children. 

In previous posts, I've talked about the importance of teaching young children family relationship vocabulary words before discussing more in-depth family history concepts. So, 
I created family relationship vocabulary cards using a cute little penguin graphic I found recently on openclipart.org. (Why penguins? Kids are in love with penguins! And they are just so cute.) 

Family Word Penguins // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Click on image to download PDF (five pages)
If you notice, some of the words, such as cousin and sibling, are repeated on both a male and female penguin. I did this intentionally, so children would realize that these words can refer to either a male or female family member. (Click on image above to download five-page PDF.)

There are several ways in which you can use these cards:

1.) Play a memory matching game: Cut each card out individually. Shuffle, flip all of them over face-down, and take turns trying to find matching cards.

2.) Play a bingo game: On each sheet, cut off the two left-side and two right-side cards. You will be left with a bingo 'card' with four spaces and four different words (see photo below). Shuffle the cards you cut off and use them to call out words one-by-one. (With emerging readers, you will probably have to either walk around and show each child the card, or write the word on a larger whiteboard or poster for everyone to see.) Make sure you have something to use as markers. When someone fills all the spaces on their card, they have a Bingo! 
​

3.) Independent matching: On each sheet, cut off the two left-side and two right-side cards, the same as you did for the bingo game. You will be left with the larger four-space cards, each with four different words. This time, though, give the individual cards you cut off to the child, and ask him or her to independently match the correct card to the proper space on the one of four larger cards. This variation is a great 'busy-bag' type activity that you can have children do on their own.
Family Word Penguins from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Cut off cards on each side to make a four-space bingo card.
These activities can help emerging readers learn to recognize and read some of the most basic family relationship vocabulary words. Once they learn these words, you can move onto other family tree projects, such as the Visualizing Family Relationships activity that I developed last year using popsicle sticks.

For durability, I recommend laminating or printing out on a heavier cardstock. Enjoy!

©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Identifying Female Ancestors: Name Change Flashcards & Matching Game

10/21/2016

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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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Research and Source Documentation for Pre-Readers

9/18/2016

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Hands-On Research and Documentation Activity for Pre-Readers from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Teaching kids who can't even read yet the basics of research and documenting their sources? Can't be done, you might be telling yourself. But I will show you a simple, hands-on activity/game I developed to teach young children to do just that! Admittedly, this is not an activity that will teach children anything about their individual ancestors, but it introduces an important SKILL that is necessary to learn, not only for genealogy research, but for research in virtually ALL academic fields.

In simple terms, research is just one big scavenger hunt, which is already something kids LOVE and are fully capable of doing, even at young ages. Documenting research sources is something none of us really like to do, but we know that it's necessary in order to have a successful research outcome. As with any activity, the keys to making this work with young children are to make it short, hands-on, and FUN!

You will need:
4 small (Amazon-sized) boxes 

12 manila file folders
Construction paper or cardstock in four different colors
Computer with printer and clip art worksheets (see end of blog post)

Glue Stick
Clear tape
Scissors
Pencil
Clipboard (optional)


This activity consists of four numbered boxes: 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each box holds three manila folders labeled A, B, and C. Each of those folders holds four clip art images, for a total of twelve images per box. Each box has it's own theme: Animals, Food, Transportation, and Sports. Each image in a folder is covered by a different color: red, pink, blue and purple. (The colored paper is just taped to the white paper along the top, so you can still flip it upwards.)

Hands-on Research and Documentation Activity for Pre-Readers from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Food-themed Box with Folders
Hands-On Research and Documentation Activity for Pre-Readers from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Color flaps that cover each clip art image.
Aside: Since this is a genealogy blog, you may be asking why I didn't use photos or other images pertaining to our family tree. The purpose of this activity was to teach the method of looking for something and documenting it, so I wanted my daughter to not get bogged down with details of dead people. That is why I chose simple, familiar images from everyday life. With older children, you could absolutely rewire this activity using images from your family's history, and they would still benefit from learning the method by which they found the images. I'm thinking about trying it with my 3rd grader - I would have categories for people, heirlooms, buildings, and jobs.

This is one of the worksheets I created that my daughter used in this activity. First, I explained to her that the picture on the left is what she needs to find.​
Hands-On Research and Documentation Activity for Pre-Readers from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Next, I showed her the numbered boxes with the folders in them. The boxes are 'labeled' with clip art images that more or less show the category of pictures that are found within that box (see photo above). When we are researching in a library, we don't look for sports books in the food section, so this was a simple way to talk about that concept when you are looking for something in a research setting.

When she did find the image she was looking for, I explained that she should circle the number of the box she found it in. Then, she had to circle what letter of folder it was in, and finally which color the image was under. After we did the first one together, she caught on quickly and did the next two by herself.
Hands-On Research and Documentation Activity for Pre-Readers from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Hands-On Research and Documentation Activity for Pre-Readers from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
The real teaching moment in this activity is when we gave her completed worksheet to big brother and asked him to find the pictures based on her worksheet notes. He was able to do it MUCH quicker than she originally did because she had essential mapped out where each one was located. And THAT is why we write down where we find things when we research anything. :-)

If you would like to try this activity at home, below are the links to the clip art images and documentation worksheets I created. All of the images are from OpenClipArt.org, so if you'd like to create your own set, I suggest starting there. As always, a link to this exercise will be included in the Activities page of the Growing Little Leaves website.
prereader_research_and_documentation_worksheets.pdf
File Size: 1070 kb
File Type: pdf
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animals_clip_art.pdf
File Size: 912 kb
File Type: pdf
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food_clip_art.pdf
File Size: 577 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

sports_clip_art.pdf
File Size: 563 kb
File Type: pdf
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transportation_clip_art.pdf
File Size: 775 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

box_label_clip_art.pdf
File Size: 488 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. Worksheets for personal and educational use only. 
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Occupations of the Past Cards

9/4/2016

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Occupations of the Past FREE Printable Cards from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Have you ever seen an ancestor's occupation in a census schedule or newspaper article and ended up perplexed? I have, and it meant doing some research to figure out just exactly what that person did for a living. There are many occupations that simply do not exist anymore, or, if they do, they are vastly different from how our ancestor's worked at those jobs a hundred or two hundred years ago. 

I created a series of forty Occupations of the Past cards that are FREE for anyone to download. There are a number of ways in which you can use these cards with children to teach them a little bit about some of the occupations of the past. Here are some suggestions, but I'm sure you could think of more:

1.) Print out two sets of the cards and create a memory matching game. (This would require printing the cards out on a heavier cardstock or gluing the cards to a heavier paper backing so that the designs and words do not show through to the other side.)
2.) Hang the cards on a bulletin board or posterboard for display.
3.) Create a roleplay game in which a child chooses a card and must act out that occupation.
4.) For older children: Have the child pick a card, and then use Google to discover more about that occupation.

You could also create more of these cards that are more specific to the occupations represented in your own family tree. All of the images I used are from the public domain, from resources such as OpenClipArt.org and Wikimedia Commons, but if you have a photo of ancestor on the job, that would be a great addition to this collection.

The BEST resource I have found for defining old occupations is The Dictionary of Old Occupations, which can be purchased as a traditional book or ebook, or you may it view online at Family Researcher.co.uk. (NOT affiliate links.)  

The following websites also maintain good information about Colonial American trades and occupations, so if you are interested in that time period, I highly recommend that you check them out.

Colonial Williamsburg
Mount Vernon
Land of the Brave

The card file is in PDF format, and is TEN pages long. You can download the file by clicking on the image below:

FREE Occupations of the Past Cards from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. Printables for personal and educational use only. Please do not mass reproduce or redistribute material without written consent of owner.
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Helping Kids Understand Memorial Day

5/25/2016

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Last year, I wrote this post about why kids should learn about Memorial Day, and I gave readers some ideas on how to involve kids in commemorating the holiday. We've been talking about it again this week, and we've done a few other activities that have helped my kids understand, ask questions, and discuss why we celebrate Memorial Day.

1.) National Cemetery Diorama
My daughter and I have had a LOT of free time this week, as her school year is over and my part-time job / volunteering commitments are finished for the summer.  So, feeling crafty, we made a national cemetery diorama. My daughter enjoyed placing the flags next to each grave (and she can do it over and over again.)
Helping Kids Understand Memorial Day - National Cemetery Diorama from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
National Cemetery Diorama
Memorial Day Activities - National Cemetery Diorama from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
National Cemetery Diorama
We used a 12"x12" Styrofoam square for the base and covered it in grass-print scrapbook paper.  along with scrapbook paper, cardstock, round-pointed toothpicks, and a wooden food skewer for the large flag pole. 
I created a simple gravestone template (below) to use as a stencil on the white cardstock. You could also print the image directly onto cardstock, but our archaic home printer won't do that. I printed out one big flag and a bunch of tiny ones using this public-domain American flag graphic from Wikipedia. Then, all you need are some scissors, some glue, and some patience!
Picture
2.) Read The Wall by Eve Bunting
Picture
The Wall by Eve Bunting
Told from the perspective of a young boy, this book takes place at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. The boy is looking for his grandfather's name on the wall. The boy comes to learn why all these names are on the wall. Then, he and his father do a rubbing of the name and they leave a photo of the boy at the memorial "for Grandpa."

Of course, it is not a happy book, but I think it does a good job of appropriately explaining the ultimate sacrifice given by so many members of our military. Not only that, but it shows how those sacrifices emotionally affect future generations. 


3.) Memorial Day Word Search
My kids enjoy doing word puzzles, so I went on the Lakeshore Learning website and used their free word search generator to make a Memorial Day-themed word search. Feel free to download the one I made at the links below, or go back to the website to create your own!
memorial_day_word_search.pdf
File Size: 46 kb
File Type: pdf
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memorial_day_word_search_key.pdf
File Size: 48 kb
File Type: pdf
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Roll A Memory Game

9/2/2015

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One of the major components of documenting family history is interviewing family elders. There are many websites out there that offer lists of questions to ask older family members during an interview. I wanted to create something that makes the process of interviewing FUN for young children AND encourages a more natural, conversational way of getting to know a family member, instead of just reading question after question off a list.

This is the Roll A Memory game. It's a simple paper cube with various questions about childhood likes, dislikes, homes, school, vacations, etc. Players take turns rolling and then every player must answer the question. After everyone answers, they get some sort of candy or goodie, which is a good incentive for kids or adults who are reluctant to play at first. Anyone, from preschoolers to senior citizens and everyone in between, can play this game! It would be fun to do at larger family gatherings - to really get people talking about their memories of people and places of the past.
Roll A Memory Game - FREE Printables by GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Roll A Memory Game
I have created three sample cubes for you to download and use with your family. (Simply cut out along the perimeter of the cross shape, fold along the black lines, and tape the tabs on the inside of the cube to hold it together.) You may also download a blank cube template on which to write your own questions that are perhaps more specific to your family members and your family traditions. (Click on each image to be directed to a downloadable PDF.)
Roll A Memory Game FREE Printables by GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Roll A Memory Game - Version 1
Roll A Memory Game FREE Printables by GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Roll A Memory Game - Version 3
Roll A Memory Game FREE Printables by GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Roll A Memory Game - Version 2
Roll A Memory Game FREE Printables by GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Roll A Memory Game - Blank
©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder. For personal use only. Printables may not be reproduced or redistributed without written consent of owner.
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All Aboard The Surname Train!

8/23/2015

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Kids love trains. They love watching them, playing with them, and riding in them. So, I thought, why not design a family history activity that is centered around trains.

Introducing the Surname Train! It's a very simple concept: One engine per surname, and then each individual family member gets his or her own train car, on which his/her photo and full name are included. Kids are able to visually put the faces with the surnames.
The Surname Train // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Surname Train
The train cars attach to each other and the engine using self-adhesive Velcro circles, which you can buy at any craft store or big-box store. This way, once you make several surname engines, you can make it a game, and ask the child to match the cars to the correct surname engine. I also love this interchangable aspect of the activity because I can show with the child how married women can actually be a part of two (or more) surname trains.
Surname Train // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Close-Up of Self-Adhesive Velcro Circle
I laminated the engine and cars for durability, but you do not have to do that. Also, when doing this with a child, I encourage you to ask the child to color or decorate the engine and cars. Let the child show off his or her creativity in this project.

With older children, you may want to write birth years on the back of each train car, and then ask them to put the cars in chronological order when assembling each train.

And, hey, my train engine and cars template is FREE! Click on either photo below to be directed to a downloadable two-page PDF for your personal use. Simply print, cut, and create!
Surname Train FREE Printables from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
FREE Surname Train Printable
Surname Train FREE Printables from GrowingLittleLeaves.com
FREE Surname Train Printable
©2015-2016, Emily Kowalski Schroeder. For personal use only. May not be reproduced or redistributed with out written consent of owner.
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    Emily Kowalski Schroeder

    Founder and Author of Growing Little Leaves

    Emily Kowalski Schroeder / Founder and Author of GrowingLittleLeaves.com

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