Getting Back To Your Roots

Posted by Meg | 0 comments

One of my New Year’s resolutions last calendar year was to explore my roots. I signed up with Ancestry.com, gathered formerly published genealogy books from family members, and set to work.

It’s been a year, and I have made quite a lot of interesting and fascinating discoveries. It didn’t take long for our two children to gain curiosity about what project I’d been working on. They’d inquire about what I’d found when I had an “a-ha moment,” and celebrated with me when I told them that we were distantly related to someone relatively famous! They asked questions about what a family tree is (and why it’s called that) and about what life was like for our early ancestors.

It’s opened up many a discussion with them about immigrants coming to America for a better life, as well as hard work ethics and the possibility of success springing out of poverty. It’s also uncovered several uncomfortable topics such as slavery, giving me an avenue for teaching and explaining things that wouldn’t normally come up in conversation.

Knowing where they come from is immensely fascinating to kids! If you’d like to delve into your family history and wish to include your children in the process, here are some fun activity ideas and tips:

- Help them create from construction paper or fill out a template of a simplified family tree of their own, then allow them to embellish it and color it and proudly display it on their bedroom door or wall. For very young children, tiny photos of relatives’ faces glued onto the tree may work better than just names. There are a whole handful of free printable family tree templates at this website (link: http://www.familytreetemplates.net/ )

- Let them interview Grandma and Grandpa, great aunts and uncles, etc. Give them a pad and pencil (or better yet, a portable tape recorder) and help them come up with a list of good questions to ask them. This will help them learn more about their past as well as provide your family with a rich and special keepsake for years to come.

- Let them help you with the mysteries. If you run into a blockade and can’t find certain information, let them “play detective” with you and help you research answers online, at the library, or at the county courthouse. Looking for “missing persons” in the past can be exciting and fun!

- Go on field trips. I recently brought my children with me to a local graveyard where I knew my great-grandmother was buried. They helped me search for the marker and we were able to put flowers on her grave and get photos of the headstone for my research. While we were there, I told them stories I’d heard from my grandmother about her life.

- Let them help with the finished product. Whether it’s an elaborate, handmade scrapbook made with old photos, stories, recipes, and other information, or whether you’d rather submit your information to a professional publishing service, let them aid in your efforts. They will take much more pride in the finished product if they have a hand in creating it alongside you!

Meg Wilson is a devoted wife to her husband, Ken, of 10 years, and mom and homeschooling teacher to her 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. When she’s not writing or creating something, Meg loves to cook for, host and entertain friends and family. She also enjoys reading, the outdoors, eclectic music, yoga, and studying history. You can read all about her adventures (and misadventures) at her blog, Muses of Megret and read her product reviews at Electric City Academy.