You’ve purchased your RootsTech or Getting Started pass. Hotel and flights are nailed down. All that is left is figuring out how to get the most out of this unique, exciting experience. Having attended RootsTech for the past two years, I have five insider tips to share. TIP 1 ATTEND THE KEYNOTES If you’re tempted to skip the keynote speakers, think again. Each speaker has a story to tell linking them to genealogy and family...
I created another worksheet to go along with the table that helps children gather data about inherited traits from their family members. I figured it would be fun to map out what they know on a family tree! This worksheet allows children to color their own eye color and hair color on the family tree, then check boxes that say if they have a hitchhikers thumb, long second toe, and attached earlobes. Then they...
Looking for a fun activity for children that helps them learn how to use FamilySearch.org? When children look at an online family tree for the first time, it is helpful for them to learn how to navigate around and see what information they can find out about their ancestors. This scavenger hunt does just that! With little clues like, “find a relative with an unusual name” or “find a woman who had more than ten...
What skills do genealogists use? How can we teach them to children in an age appropriate way? This month’s #FHforChildren blog link up is all about teaching kids to do genealogy research. Theme: Teaching Children Genealogy Skills What are the core skills of genealogy that children can learn from a young age? What age would you start teaching these at and how do you do so with your children? Share your ideas for teaching kids...
Have you read These is My Words – The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner yet? I featured the novel based on the author’s own family stories as a book club selection in July of 2017. Because I’m fascinated with the writing of family history, I contacted Nancy to get her perspective on the world of genealogy and family history. She graciously agreed to answer my questions and share her thoughts. Four generations...
What makes the Christmas season beautiful? For a child, the anticipation of Christmas morning and gifts from Santa might seem all encompassing. But the decorations, the holiday feast, the music, the lights, all serve to add to the magic of Christmas. Who makes the magic happen? Behind it all there is often a mother orchestrating the dance of Christmas. As I’ve been pondering family Christmas traditions, I’ve settled on the tradition of making the season...
My mom started making cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree for Christmas morning when I was about ten years old. She saw the idea at a homemaking meeting for Relief Society in the 1990s when we were living in Seattle. She later found a recipe in a Rhodes rolls recipe book and started making it for us once a year on Christmas morning. Here’s how she does it. On Christmas eve, she...
It’s been a great December so far. We’ve been doing fun Christmas activities every day to enjoy the season! I’m trying hard not to become too busy to enjoy each little moment. My four-year-old daughter is delighted with every part of the Christmas season. She has been helping me with every step of setting up the decorations, make Christmas crafts together, and reading Christmas books. I’ve been asking around about others’ Christmas traditions and adding...
Do the words “plan a Family History Fair'” fill you with dread and uncertainty? You may have a large event focused on genealogy and family history looming, or you may be asked to organize one in the future. In either scenario some ideas and tips from a very successful event I recently attended can save you time and energy. Tauni and Diana, Camano Island, Washington In a serendipitous turn of events, in October I found...
With Thanksgiving coming up, I’ve been thinking about ways to teach my children about the history of Thanksgiving. Then I wondered if we are related to any pilgrims. Using Relative Finder, which draws upon the collaborative family tree at FamilySearch.org, I was able to quickly see that I am possibly related to several Mayflower passengers (I haven’t researched these connections). In fact, 17 Mayflower passengers are my direct ancestors, according to the FamilySearch family tree....