lesson 1: Stories

Objectives: learn what aspect of family history interests each class member

share video stories (How David met Linnea)

have groups participate in family history games

Set-up: After the class arrives, have them divide into groups according to the number of family history consultants available.  Have each consultant ask what interests them the most about family history and write down their answers.

Pando is a Latin word meaning “I spread.”  Pando is an aspen clone that originated from a single seed and spreads by sending up new shoots from the expanding root system. Located on the Fishlake National Forest in Central Utah, Pando is a colony of 47,000 quaking aspen trees covering 106 acres all stemming from one massive underground root system.  It was once believed to be the world’s largest living organism.

Pando is also the name of a new family history game.  The developer explained:

People everywhere are trying to discover their roots and see where they come from.  However, many of those same people couldn’t tell you what grandpa’s favorite food was or how mom met dad.  I started to think about all those things I don’t know about my parents early life.  Simple details about their dating experience, proposal, wedding, us kids being born, places they’ve lived, pets they’ve had.  I was drawing blanks everywhere.  Answering the same questions about my grandparents was near impossible.  I realized that, thru no fault of my family, a generational gap had been created.  I also realized that the vast majority of grown kids and grandkids lacked the same basic knowledge about their parents and grandparents’ story.  … Somehow, with so much focus put on discovering our ancestor’s names and birthplaces, we’d missed the story of our own parents and grandparents.  The funny thing is, that is the only story we truly have access to and we’re letting it go.

Video: How David met Linnea  

How did your parents meet?  In Jacob’s case, his parents met at a crosswalk.  This legendary tale was made into a video by our children and given to us as a gift nearly a decade ago.  I’m going to share the first part of it with you today - starring Rebecca and Paul, filmed by AnnElyse.

Games - Now we are going to give each of you a chance to discover some family history stories of your own.  Each group can select one of the following games to play:

Pando - the person drawing the card asks the question and determines which member of the group gives the best answer, they also give the correct answer if not guessed

Life Stories - draw a different type of question depending on which square your piece lands on

dinner conversations - answer a question pulled from a jar

Jenga - answer the question as you pull the block to build the tower

#52 questions