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.)
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.)
Food-themed Box with Folders
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 |
| animals_clip_art.pdf |
| food_clip_art.pdf |
| sports_clip_art.pdf |
| transportation_clip_art.pdf |
| box_label_clip_art.pdf |
©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. Worksheets for personal and educational use only.
