Kid-Sized Personal Histories

I know I got this page from the Friend Magazine, I just can't find the link!  The parent fills in the top part and the child fills in the bottom part.   This is awesome for just getting a few interesting memories down quickly during Family Night or a Sunday afternoon.  Be sure to put them in the personal history portion of the family book of remembrance (family history album).  This page is a great way to involve children in making their own books of remembrance by beginning their own personal history.  This might help them write experiences that are meaningful to them now.

Here are some other ideas and links for including family history on family night:

1. Prepare a small section of the family book of remembrance (personal histories section?) with key photos interspersed with appropriate comments to illustrate the growth and development of your family.  Share this often.  Small children will especially enjoy listening to family experiences being shared.  Go through family pictures, baby books, souvenirs--when children were too young to remember--incidents they will enjoy hearing about such as my eldest child's first smile, or how she would look out the window on a winter's day while Dad was fixing the car and yell "Da!" over and over and was thrilled when he would take time to wave back.  Or after my son experienced riding in a big rig with his dad he from then on would point and yell, "Truck!" whenever he saw another big rig.  Or the middle child who would always exclaim, "I need a hug!" when she sensed she might be in trouble.
2. Family history can be interesting and colorful.  Even children, who can't write yet can start a book of remembrance.  Let them tell you what their drawings represent, and write a caption underneath the pictures.  For instructions visit "Picture Journals."
3. Collaboratively as a family or on their own, write "What we remember best about our life in our family," even if they are not necessarily spiritual but made you and the family happy.
4. "25 Terrific Ideas for Family History Fun" is a great source for family home evenings, especially for teens.

Book of Remembrance FAQs

This is placed in front of the FGR section of my Book of Remembrance. 

Sacred family records should be prepared by inspiration and as described in the helpful guide, The Priesthood Genealogy Program Booklet, a book of remembrance could contain the following:

Personal Records:  A personal record for each family member showing the highlights of his or her life.  Each child should be encouraged to complete his own personal record.

For your own portion of the family book of remembrance, write the story of your life, including the influence each child has had on you as he has come into your family.  This makes a nice gift for each family member to have a copy.

Family History and Biography:  Family Group Records (FGR) showing the complete families of all names listed on the pedigree chart and all temple ordinance work completed or in progress on the direct lines.  A good beginning for this section of the book of remembrance would be the Four-Generation family group records.

For a nice Christmas gift, make a family record containing genealogical information for each of your children and grandchildren.  Record all important dates and a brief description of important events in the lives of each one.

Pedigree Charts:  A pedigree chart showing the direct ancestry of the family for at least four generations should be placed in the book.  As additional information is gathered it should be added to this chart to complete the family record as far back as the direct family ancestry can be traced.

Include special letters saved, like the newsletter my grandmother wrote every year for as long as I can remember.  It summed up the year (each and every baby born) but also included memories, testimony, and love.  Reading ancestor's feelings about life binds a family closer together.

Sacred Personal and Family Experiences:  Sacred personal experiences which would be faith promoting for future generations.  Sacred personal and family experiences would include those faith promoting or spiritual experiences which have brought you and your family closer to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Spirit of the Holy Ghost will dictate to you which of those spiritual experiences you may wish to share with family members to help increase their testimonies of the Gospel.

Spiritual and faith promoting experiences could include the following types of principles, activities or events:

• Your personal testimony of the Gospel
• Your Missionary experiences
• Your conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ
• Inspirational experiences with spiritual leaders and friends (i.e. inspirational stories and experiences, great church leaders known or met, personal testimony and feelings about such occasions).
• Special blessings such as patriarchal blessings and father's blessings
• Church job/position related experience
• Interpretation of favorite scriptures (for instance I have collected scriptures about homemaking, my chosen profession)
• Personal and family testimonies of gospel ordinances such as Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, The Priesthood, The endowment and sealing ordinances.  Don't forget to ask the clerk's office for an official blessing certificate, baptismal certificate, etc.  These are great to copy and include in your book of remembrance.  (Include impressions at the time you were baptized, confirmed, gave a first testimony, attended a significant church meeting such as a solemn assembly, took out your own endowments in the temple, temple marriage).
• Personal and family testimonies of Gospel Principles/Personal Characteristics, (i.e.  Faith, Love, Prayer, Tithing, Baptism, Revelation, Hope, Reverence, Kindness, Repentance, Service, Integrity, Obedience, The Holy Ghost, Gifts of the Spirit, Patience, Well prepared talks, Understanding
• Write your testimony, not the formal type, but just how you feel now--at age 8, 14, 25, 40, 65, 80, etc.

Pioneer Children

by Sandy Halvorson

Sometimes when I must walk to school, it seems a long, long way.

I get to feeling tired and would like to stop and play.

But then I think of pioneers who walked by sun and star;

And suddenly my little walk doesn’t seem so far.

Sometimes on cold, dark winter nights I crawl beneath the sheet

And wish I had a cozy place to warm my chilly feet.

But then I think of pioneers who camped outside all night

And only had a fire’s glow to give them warmth and light.

Sometimes when I am hungry and want something good to eat,

My mother gives me carrots when I’d rather have a sweet.

But then I think of pioneers who thanked God and were glad

For anything at all to eat—my carrots aren’t so bad.

Sometimes when I have chores to do and I would rather play,

I think of pioneers and know they worked most all the day.

And so I guess I can’t complain about things that I must do,

For when I think of pioneers, I’m very blessed—aren’t you?

http://lds.org/friend/1983/07/i-think-of-pioneers?lang=eng

Here is a real story of just one of the thousands of pioneer children who migrated west in the late 1840s and early 1850s.  This is a good one to tell children at a Primary pioneer activity, or a pioneer-themed family home evening.  It would be fun if a dad or granddad could dress up for the part and tell the story as if  he were Albert reminiscing when he was one of the pioneer children.

"Children Pioneers," by Fay McCracken, Friend, July 1995

Family Reunion Calendars

My grandma (right) looked forward to family reunions every summer.

Family Reunion Calendars make great mementos and can help you learn more about your family.  To make a calendar, collect 12 good recipes from extended family with the following information:  
Where did it come from?
How old is it?
Is it a tradition?  

Each month cook the recipe of the month.  Make extras as gifts!  Take pictures of your family with the completed recipe.  


I found this idea when our family visted The Alabama Department of Archives and History right next to the Alabama State Capitol.  If you ever visit Montgomery, AL this is one of my favorite haunts to visit--especially if you love state history and family history.  

http://www.archives.state.al.us/ tells you all about the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History.

Do You Know Your Family?

Activity:  Do You Know Your Family?

How well do the members of your family know each other?  These questions are great for the dinner table or other family get-togethers with extended family gatherings.  See how well you know your family.

1.  Mother's full name?

2.  Father's birthplace?

3.  Siblings' birthdates?

4.  Mother's birthplace?

5.  Grandfather's job?

6.  Where great-grandparents lived?

7.  Any ancestors from another country?

8.  Resemblance to ancestors?

9.  Location of most of the old family photographs?

10. Famous persons in family?

Find out the answers before it is too late!

Christmas in July

Many families have what they call a "Family Night" where they make sure that at least one day each week, the family gets together to spend time with each other.  I'm always looking for meaningful, original ideas to do on Family Night.  I found just such an activity in the Ensign, a religious magazine, to get family members involved in disaster preparedness planning.  This activity helps the family prepare for times of need by having a "Christmas in July" party.  

In the south where I'm from, there is already harvesting and canning to be done in July as a new late crop is planted.  The "canners" in the family can give gifts of canned fruits and veggies.  Others can buy much needed food storage supplies such as a new box of jars.  Many items such as seeds go on sale by this time and would make great gifts that can be stored in Ziploc bags in the refrigerator ready for a future garden's bounty.  The following is an excerpt from the Ensign and shows many other ways to prepare:

In one month--on July 25--we will have "Christmas."  My brother made this announcement as he produced a large paper Christmas tree.  We will surprise each other with gifts for our year's supply.That night we had a family discussion on storing food and other items so that we would be self-sufficient in times of need.  Our family had a testimony of this principle; only a few years before, our home had been damaged by the Teton Dam floodwaters, and we remembered how grateful we had been that we were prepared during that crisis. As our "holiday" approached, each of us worked feverishly on our gifts.  My mother tied quilts.  My sister saved some money from her part-time job and bought a case of soap.  Another sister assembled a first-aid kit.  We grew closer to each other as we worked together to prepare ourselves.In some ways, our family home evening on July 25 was as much fun as Christmas morning.  And what a wonderful feeling to carry those gifts down to our storage shelves and know that we had become more prepared!  ~LaDawn G. Dalton, ("Do Not Open until July 25," Ensign 6/89)