It is time to go on an adventure to trace your family roots! This is an essential piece in building your family archive. Many questions may arise during this endeavor. How did Aunt Irina get from Russia to the United States? Did she speak English when she arrived? Did she wind up learning English in her new country, or did she continue to speak in her native language? What was that language? Why did Great-Grandpa Andres want to move from California to New York City? (Please remember that in both the discussion areas and the worksheets in this activity you can change any “titles” that are not appropriate for your family. For example, maybe “parent” is “guardian,” etc.)
Using different forms of multimedia, it is time to trace your family’s journey to their current communities. In this activity you and your child or loved one will use maps to trace your family’s journey. What you’ll need…
Have a discussion about your family history. Most likely this dialogue will inspire your child or loved one to want to learn more about where they fit in their family lineage. And your child or loved one will hear stories about the older generations in your family!
Lead-in questions to support your discussion can include:
● Have you ever thought about where our family members lived before coming to... ? (NAME OF YOUR TOWN OR CITY)
● Have you heard stories about your grandparents or even their parents and where they may have lived?
● Do you know if they spoke languages different from what you speak?
● Do you know if they had any traditions that they brought with them here? Do they have any songs they have taught us? Or special meals they make that they learned from their parents or grandparents?
Step One
● Be ready to use the LRA Parent Activity World Map (or your chosen form of media) and the LRA Parent Activity World Map Worksheet.
Step Two
● With your child or loved one, locate your family members’ original country or countries on the map and (if possible depending on the form of map you have chosen) draw a line representing the route they took from that point to their destination. There may be more than one line!
● If your known family history is entirely within the United States you may want to use a national map instead of a world map.
Step Three
● After you have traced the journey of your family on the map, it is time to work together to fill out the map worksheet! This is a fun step as you think about what countries, states, and/or oceans your family members passed through to reach their destination! What types of transportation do you think they used? And how many languages did they possibly hear or speak on their journey?
Step Four
● So much information has been shared! Have a wrap-up dialogue with your child or loved one. During the discussion you may want to take notes so you have a written record of what you may choose to explore in the future. Lead-in questions can include:
● Were you surprised by any new things we learned about our family?
● Did you hear a new story about a family member?
● Did you learn something new about yourself when you were younger?
● Do you have more questions you would like to ask any of our family members about their history?
Step Five
This is a great time to write, to draw, or to assemble a personal reflection! This step can be done in a freestyle mode, with suggested projects below, including a written reflection, a family crest, and a collage.
Although these are questions to contemplate with your child or loved one, you should all engage in writing individual reflections:
● What surprised me about a certain relative? What do I want to know about this person? Why is it important for me to know this information?
● How do I see myself in my family lineage?
● Do I see my family differently now? If so, how do I see them? What has changed?
When you have completed your reflections share them with each other!
Materials needed: Your choice of media, which can include magazines/newspapers/photos. You will need pens/pencils/markers/crayons and scissors, as well as glue or tape. You will also need a blank piece of paper or a piece of cardboard you can cut into the shape of a crest.
Explain to your child or loved one that a family crest offers a visual representation of your family on a crest or shield. It does not have to include photos of people; it can highlight family attributes, cultural resonances, and meaningful places or items.
Step One
Discuss with your child or loved one attributes that represent your family: people, objects, accomplishments. Think about the things that are meaningful to you, and are important to remember and convey to others in your incredible family crest!
Thinking back over the discussions you’ve just had, look through materials you’ve assembled - for instance photos or magazines - and identify images you would like to include on your family crest. Cut them out. Tip: your family crest can include pictures of places, food, an image related to a story shared, and more! You and your child or loved one can add different themes to your family crest.
Step Two
Family members are not creating individual family crests; together, you are creating ONE family crest. Lead a conversation with your child or loved one as you go through all the images selected and choose which ones will go on the family crest and which may be discarded or saved for a future project. Decide how to arrange the chosen images. Don’t forget to save a place to put your family name on the crest!
When you’re ready, glue or tape the images on the piece of paper that has become your family crest. When it is completed, decide together where you would like to hang your family crest in your home!
Materials needed: Your choice of media, which can include magazines/newspapers/photos. You will need pens/pencils/markers/crayons and scissors, as well as glue or tape. You will also need a blank piece of paper. Optional supplies can include: paints, glitter, stickers...
Creating a collage is a fun way to document what you have learned about your family! A collage is created by attaching different types of multimedia to a sheet of paper.
Ask your child or loved one to go through the multimedia you have assembled and cut out things that remind them of family, both the already known attributes and those that were newly learned during this activity. For example, maybe your child or loved one sees an image of cookies that look like the special cookies grandma made. Or perhaps there is an image of a beach that reminds your child or loved one of a family story that was shared during this activity.
Paste your chosen images onto the blank paper and decorate with words, drawings, stickers, or anything else that speaks to your child or loved one.
When the collage is finished, find a place to hang it in your home!
If you want to be featured on our social media, use your phone to take a picture of your filled-in Archive in Your Home Worksheet. Email it to us at info@lostrollsamerica.com.
You can also post to your own social media accounts and use the hashtag #LostRollsAmerica
Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @lostrollsamerica and Twitter at @lostrollsameric, and find us on Facebook to see your work featured!
Note: Must be 18 or older to send in content to Lost Rolls America