workshops about mothers mothers mother

[brigidmac]

Hi Im going to be running some taster workshops to get more people interested in family
history

i.m focussing on maternal lines and creating oral stories or picture books rather than trees and dates

any suggestions feedbacks examples will be gratefully received and if you live in Leicetershire you're welcome to attend or phone in when i do my radio presentations on LEICESTER COMMUNITY RADIO DAYTIME (non profit radio)

[brigidmac]

one idea is to get children to draw their mothers mother or their grandmothers mother and use sticker books to show what fashions they would have worn ..if mothers fathers or grandparents can come along they can do the same for the fashions of their mothers mothers

i did a session in a retirement home about toys from the past

and i am making a book for my 90 year old aunt which will be more like a tree but tell about the life and town of her maternal  grandmother [my Scottish great grandmother ]
then the life story of her mother
herself ..which is a kind of pre obiturary so she can stop  worrying  that things will be left out at her funeral
i can include photos or stories of her daughters childhood
and heradult grand daughter may like to add her own contributions

i

[brigidmac]

I have to write a business plan this week
The self employment s course leader said I have to focus on one particular aspect

I want to put " time travel detective" on my business cards

Focussing on maternal lines could be my unique selling point

Any ideas ?   Or feedback ? Does anyone know genealogists or writers  who do this kind of thing ...I.d be grateful for any help . encouragement .warnings or advice

[Rosinish]

one idea is to get children to draw their mothers mother or their grandmothers mother and use sticker books to show what fashions they would have worn

Hi Brigid,

Personally, as it's 'children' are they young enough to know their g g/parents & old enough to know such things as fashions?

Not trying to put you off but there are few who have the knowledge of g g/parents & if it's to get "more people interested in family history" it may be best with children to stick with what they see or recall in their own wee minds as g g/parents may be a distant memory to a child & a bit of a task rather than a fun exercise but of course when that exercise has been completed they could then delve into the g g/parents lives feeling more at ease..... I know what I mean 

Great idea for kids to become interested!

Annie

[brigidmac]

Annie  thanks for your interest ...with children I usually do what their grandparents wore

Have some lovely stickers and colouring  books of sixties and fifties

But can then ask the parents or grandparents who are present what their grandparents wore

I went to a residential home with sticker books of Edwardian times.

There were a few memories raised ..I wondered if there was a way to get these two ends of the spectrum together ..it's becoming quite fashionable now to have really young children coming into homes for the elderly

It doesn't have to be blood relations just living people who could talk to them about what their great great grandmother may have worn

[Rosinish]

with children I usually do what their grandparents wore

Ahh, yes that would seem perfect for their age & probably shake their wee memories of other things too...how interesting for a kid & so much better than sitting in front of a room sized tv or playing games on an ipad or whatever 

The books & stickers sound like they will be great fun & it reminds me of my own youth when we had a magazine (can't remember which) or if it was a magazine but it had cardboard (thin) cut out dolls with clothes with little tabs to attach them to the figure....

Now, that would be a similar idea as you have but the kids will have someone to relate to, not just a figure on cardboard....very clever Brigid! 

Annie

[Jomot]

I think my own interest in family history came about in stages, but something I clearly remember from my childhood is when I was about 10 our teacher set us some question about historic items in the town centre & we had to go off in pairs and find them for ourselves - a bit like a treasure hunt. 

When we'd all finished (or time had run out!) he then took us to each of the places and told us a little about their history.  For instance one question was about a shop, and we were shown photographs of how it used to look decades before and learned about the family that owned it, as well as the kinds of things they sold.  We then went to a working museum that had shops selling old-style sweets, an old photographers studio, working blacksmith etc, and all of it tied back to the 'treasure hunt' questions.     

Something like that could possibly work for both ends of the age spectrum and perhaps be tweaked to focus more on the women? 

By the way, next year's Heritage Open Days is focusing on women, so that fits nicely with your USP 

[jaybelnz]

This has a slight NZ focus, but you may find it helpful and be able to adapt it to fit your requirements!

I recently won a draw regarding recording on video MY Family Story, and I am to be interviewed in my own home in another couple of weeks.  I have copied and pasted the document below - I was sent re the type of questions I will be asked.  It's quite comprehensive, and has given me time to jot down my answers before they come.

"IDEAS FOR CONVERSATIONS"
 
The best stories come from the heart. Every family has heaps of memorable stories that are suitable for collecting and protecting. We know that sometimes it is not easy thinking up stories your family wants to protect. If you don’t know where to start, take a look at some of these ideas to get you thinking about the story your family could be protecting.
 
GROWING UP
Where did you grow up? What was it like being a child there?
Tell me about your favourite childhood memory.
What were you like as a child/young person? How have you changed?
Tell me about your OE?
 
RELATIONSHIPS
Tell me about the person that had the greatest influence in your life.
Tell me about when you first met your husband/wife/partner? What was your first impression of them?
What was your relationship like with your parents? How does it differ from the relationship you have with your children?
Tell me about your grandparents? What was their life like compared to yours?
What was your mum/dad like as a child? What is your favourite story about them?
 
FAMILY STORIES
What are the funny stories your family tells about you?
Tell me about your favourite family story teller? What was their favourite story?
What is your favourite story about your family?
What are your family traditions?
Who are the black sheep in the family? What did they do?
 
 
NZ HISTORICAL EVENTS
What do you remember about the Springbok Tour? How did you feel about this?
What are your memories of the war/rationing? How did it affect you/your family?
When New Zealand went nuclear free, how did you feel about this decision?
What moments in New Zealand’s history have influenced your life?
 
SCHOOL/EDUCATION/JOBS
What was school like for you? What were you like at school?
Tell me about the teacher who influenced your life.
What were your favourite subjects at school? What did you like about them?
Who were your best friends at school/university? Are you still friends with them?
Tell me about your first job. What did you spend your first pay packet on?
 
TURNING POINTS
What were the turning points in your life?
How did you feel when you found out you were going to be a parent?  How did life change when you became a parent?
Tell me about moving to [location]? Were you scared/excited/upset?
 
MOVING TO NEW ZEALAND
Tell me the story of how your family came to live in New Zealand.
What was your first impression of New Zealand? What did you do to settle into life here?
How did you preserve your culture/traditions/language when you moved to New Zealand?
 
LIFE LESSONS TO PASS ON
What advice would you like to pass onto your grandchildren?
What did you learn from your grandparents?"
 
It's actually a pretty good outline for anyone who wants to write their own family story.
 

[Andrew Tarr]

If you think it would be useful I could send you an image of the 1865 photo I added to a post here several months ago.  It shows four female generations: newborn, 1838, 1809 and 1782 - that's 7 years before the French revolution ...