- A large world map or a tracing from an atlas can help the younger family members pinpoint the different journeys or hometowns of each family member. Straight pins with colored heads can mark each location on a map tacked to a large section of corrugated cardboard or a cork bulletin board. One pinhead color can represent one family member.
Family members can give location clues to a child who is not familiar with other cities. For example, if the mother was born in Jasper, Alberta, and attended university in Regina, Saskatchewan, you can ask the child to move her hand from west to east on the map of Canada, and call out, "warm" or "cool" as a guide. You can also explain that national boundaries change and ethnic groups migrate. For example: an uncle was born in Poland, but his hometown is now part of Germany; or a cousin of Japanese descent was born in Brazil and currently lives in the United States. - A heritage book can hold international coins.coins image by bluefern from Fotolia.com
A family memory album can show the most current news at the beginning of the book with the oldest images at the back. Children can help compile photos of more recent events with more familiar faces. As the book progresses, the younger family members can gradually see connections with older or departed relatives with the turning of each album page. Timely mementoes such as old greeting cards, wedding invitations or postcards can also fill the pages. Coins or postage stamps from the ancestral countries can grace this heritage book. A scanner can help preserve the compiled album by making digital copies that out-of-town relatives can view. - A long, narrow banner can include significant events in the family's history. Stickers, colorful markers, or crayons can indicate important dates such as births, moves and new jobs. For example, if the grandparents' generation immigrated, you can include their country of birth, the year they arrived, and the year they received their new citizenship status. As a link to ancestral homelands, family members can draw national flags or national plants as banner motifs.
- Heritage night can include music from your ancestral homelands.musique de monde image by arabesque from Fotolia.com
A heritage supper with sampling of food from the ancestral countries can create a diverse, international meal. A table centerpiece can include small national flags, and leaves to represent the family trees. If the family's history includes migration across the United States, you can include the state flags or small figurines to indicate occupations during settlement. A long runner or strip of fabric across the table can form the backdrop for handicrafts, needlework or knickknacks from your ancestral home countries.
Classical or traditional folk music played with instruments new to young listeners can help engage the family audience. Bedtime with tales from lands far away can conclude the heritage night with thoughts of a possible visit your family's ancestral homes.
previous post