Nicole Elder Dyer

About Nicole Elder Dyer

Nicole Dyer is a professional genealogist specializing in Southern United States research and genetic genealogy. She is the creator of FamilyLocket.com and the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. She co-authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide and Research Like a Pro with DNA and is an instructor for the study groups of the same name. She lectures at conferences and institutes and previously served as the secretary and publicity chair of the Pima County Genealogy Society. Nicole holds a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in History Teaching. At Family Locket Genealogists, Nicole is a project manager, editor, and researcher.

Fun Family History Activities for Father’s Day – #FHforChildren Blog Link Up June 2017

May 17, 2017

Announcing the theme for our June “Family History for Children” blog link up: fun family history ideas for Father’s Day. What stories from our family’s past can help our sons become better fathers? What exemplary fathers do you have in your family tree whose stories can help your kids? Our purpose is to strengthen children with stories from the past by creating a fun project. Hopefully families and can use our projects to celebrate father’s...

BYU myFamily History Youth Camp

May 13, 2017

I wish the MyFamily History Youth Camp had been around when I was a teenager. I would have LOVED it! The camp is in conjunction with the BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy and when I was there last year, I saw that there was a youth camp going on at the same time. My curiosity was piqued! The youth camp is July 24-28 this summer and it’s a one of a kind experience. I’ll be...

Mothers Who Remember

May 11, 2017

Mothers who actively choose to remember important experiences and stories from the past and share these memories with their children have great power to shape their children’s emotional well-being. In a 2003 General Conference talk, Susan W. Tanner told about a little journal she wrote for her 17-year-old daughter. Almost three years ago, one of our daughters got married and immediately left with her husband for medical school in a distant city. She was leaving...

“The Wall” by Eve Bunting – Kids Memorial Day Book + Activities

May 5, 2017

For our Kid’s Book club this month, we are reading The Wall by Eve Bunting. As a history teacher, I loved talking with my students about the origination and history behind the holidays we celebrate. Although for many of us, Memorial Day is just a day off and a time for vacationing, it can be a valuable tool for teaching children to honor and remember those who died in our country’s service. I’m still planning exactly how...

Family History Storytime – Preschool Books and Lesson Plans

May 4, 2017

I’ve always wanted to volunteer at the Tucson Family History Center near where I live. After giving a presentation at their Family History Fair in February (Kid Genealogists, a presentation I also gave at RootsTech with Emily Schroeder and Melissa Finlay), I got to talking with one of the directors about possibly starting a children’s family history group. I thought about it the whole way home and realized that I had plenty of lesson ideas...

Favorite Reads of April 2017

Apr 29, 2017

I use Feedly to read my favorite sources, and more, including google news that I curate using keyword combinations like “genealogy” AND “children.” It’s so convenient to do all my reading in one place. The Feedly app is useful too. This month I discovered the possibility of using IFTTT to generate a google doc with the titles and a quote from each of my saved articles in Feedly for this post. About halfway through reading...

15 Genetics Activities for Kids

Apr 25, 2017

Happy DNA Day! Below are 15 activities to teach kids about DNA, genetics, and heredity. Each of these ideas are free and have worksheets, printables, or easy lesson/activity ideas that can generally be done in a day. If you want to do some advance planning and have your kids take a DNA test, there are so many fun things you can do with the results. One of my favorites is the grandchild report from gene...

May Link Up: Mothers, Our Memory Keepers

Apr 21, 2017

Mothers are at the heart of family. Researcher Marshall Duke found that family stories are primarily transferred by mothers and grandmothers and that these stories give children personal strength and moral guidance. Mothers are often the memory keepers of the family. We honor our mothers and their influence in society each Mother’s Day (May 14, 2017 in the United States). Let’s celebrate them by remembering the advice, memories, and stories they passed on to us,...

10 Ways Busy Parents Can Make Time for Family History

Apr 19, 2017

After my third baby was born last year, I have been relearning how to manage my time effectively. I thought I learned how to do this in college, yet after each new addition to the family, I have to figure it out again. This time, I focused on finding out what was taking up my time, then cutting out non-essentials, and simplifying. This has helped me be able to continue working on my passion: family history....

8th Grade Family History Project: My Story in American History

Apr 12, 2017

I interviewed Chris Voutsas, an outstanding junior high history teacher, about the family history project he assigns his 8th graders each year, called “My Story in American History.” After our correspondence, I attended the school’s academic showcase open house which featured the family history projects. I was wowed by the outstanding work each student shared. Let’s hear from Chris about why he does what he does. Be sure to check out the video of the students...