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Ancestry Daily News
2/6/2002 - Archive
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Why Genealogy is Important for Children |
Why Genealogy is Important for Children
There are plenty of reasons why adults should be curious about family
history, but what about children? Why should adults teach children about genealogy?
I'm sure you have a few answers of your own.
My interest in genealogy and history began when I was about nine. At that point,
there were no books written on the subject for kids. Instead I worked my way
through Gilbert Doane's, In Search of Your Ancestors and followed his
advice for about a year. It was a college history assignment that rekindled
my interest in the topic and led to my working in the field. That's when I discovered
that family history is a great way to teach children history-local, national
and international. Over the years, as I worked with school groups, it became
apparent there was still a lack of resources for children interested in genealogy.
When writing, Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors (Houghton Mifflin 1999),
I interviewed professional genealogists and friends to find out about their
childhood experiences with genealogy. They told me two things. First, that they
found family history fascinating as children but didn't know how to go further
with it, and second, that their grandparents played a pivotal role in their
future as genealogists.
I bet many of you first became interested in the topic as children, but waited
until you were adults before you started researching those names. Think of all
the interviews you could've have conducted with relatives that are no longer
alive. My grandmother never talked about her family, and I've been stuck on
her parents for decades. If only I'd known what to ask. Perhaps that brick wall
wouldn't exist.
So why get children involved with family history, and how do you do it? Let
me give you a few reasons and suggestions.
1. It Provides Kids with a Connection
Every day in news we hear about children gone astray because they feel disconnected
to their family and the world. As genealogists you know that families are endlessly
fascinating. By filling in the blanks on the charts you discover that while
all families are unique, researching your family is a personal detective story.
You discover characteristics about yourself that you have in common with an
earlier ancestor. For example, a musically talented child discovers that his
great-grandfather played an instrument and sang in the church choir.
The news media also focuses attention on how different families are today than
in past generations. As a genealogist I object. The variations in today's households
are not that different than in previous centuries although they are talked about
more.
For adoptees, research can help them connect to their adoptive family. This
also means creating a sense of family by discussing the adoption process as
well as why they were adopted (in age appropriate language), how you selected
their names and teaching them about their heritage. If they know their birth
name, adopted children can also research their birth family. Of course there
are lots of different adoption stories, so think about how to establish that
link using their history.
2. Pass on a Sense of History
At home, children need to have a sense of history. It's part of understanding
who they are. This includes their own personal history as well as how world
history influenced family decisions. Talk about what you did when you were their
age, finding a common element. My children can't believe that their grandparent's
lived without modern "necessities." This is basic history. When was television
invented and when did you first experience it? What was your town like a few
years ago or a century ago?
Ask them to keep a diary, write a memoir, take pictures, or create a scrapbook.
The final format is whatever they would like to produce based on their own creativity.
It could even be a comparison of what their life is like compared to another
family member's life at their age.
History surrounds kids, but they don't think about it. They primarily live in
the present. In my kid's case, they live for the moment without thought of what
came before so I try to incorporate history into everyday life through ordinary
tasks. It's difficult to talk about history without boring children and the
same is true for family history. My son loves sports, but hates all the protective
equipment. It only takes a moment to insert a comment about the lack of shin
pads and helmets when I was a kid to get his attention. Instead of waiting for
him to ask another question, I'll ponder out loud, "I wonder what {insert the
sport} was like when Grandpa was a kid. I like to think of genealogy as the
history of everyone in the family even pets. No detail is too small to mention.
After all, the goal is keep kids a part of the family and create a future generation
of genealogists.
3. Gives Them A Context in Which to Understand the World
There are common threads that reappear in every generation besides birth, marriage,
and death. Ask any student how many times they've moved in their lifetime and
what the readjustment was like and you have a context for mentioning immigration.
Many children move at least once during their school years. The local high school
uses census documents to teach about immigration and assimilation. Unless the
children are immigrants, moving is something they can relate to. War is another
current that runs throughout family history. What is your family's experience
during wartime, the current one and past ones? Older children can interview
people, research documents and write about their findings. This is part of what
we do as genealogists. By teaching kids family history one step at a time, you
have a chance of giving them a lifetime hobby.
4. It's An Intergenerational Activity
Have I convinced you yet that it's important to introduce children to family
history? I hope so. If not, think about all the time you've spent accumulating
documents, photographs, and artifacts from your family. Now, whom are you going
to leave all that material to? Once you get a child curious about their family
history and keep them interested you've found someone who's going to take care
of your efforts. By the time I learned enough about family history, countless
documents were lost, thrown out when someone died. Teaching children about family
history, not only lets you work on an activity together it lets them experience
genealogy first hand by working with various family members. As they save their
heritage it builds a sense of responsibility. I've spoken with many genealogists
who despair over the lack of relatives interested in their hobby. I'm basically
a stubborn person; I just keep trying different methods to reach out to kids
until I find something that works. You can too.
5. Future Members
Here's a pet peeve. Why don't more genealogical societies offer special memberships
and programming for children? By educating a younger generation about family
history you not only encourage them to become adult members but reach out to
their parent's as well. The Boy Scouts have a genealogy badge, but once those
boys start researching their history, where else can they go? Someday, a genealogical
organization will see that their future is with the children. After all, not
only are they potential members, but donors as well.
On a related topic, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a genealogy magazine for
kids full of interesting projects, activities, and first-person stories? The
projected market for these subscriptions and publications are not only children
aged nine and up, but all the teachers that include family history in their
classroom. In many states, genealogy is taught as part of the curriculum on
understanding similarities and as well as social studies. Teachers use it in
a variety of ways including math assignments, English, history and art. There
is a way to use it to teach almost every subject, even science now that genetics
is being studied. Genealogical societies shouldn't underestimate the need for
memberships directed at children; it's a huge potential market.
I know that it's been said before, but investing in children is an investment
in our future. I don't know who said it or why, but the same thought applies
to genealogy. By spending time helping kids understand family history, all of
us benefit. A little less history is lost and you've given them a sense of how
the world works.
I would love to hear from more people who started their family history research
as children. Please send me an email and let me know more about it.
Maureen A. Taylor, of www.TaylorandStrong.com and a contributing
editor to Family Tree Magazine is the author of
Preserving Your Family Photographs (Betterway 2001) and Uncovering
Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs (Betterway 2000) as well as a guide to family history for kids, Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors (Houghton Mifflin, 1999). Her columns appear in New England Ancestors,Ancestry Magazine, and Family Tree Magazine. Her numerous television and radio appearances include The View, MSNBC, and DIY: Scrapbooking.
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