One of my favorite authors is Laura Ingalls Wilder, after all, she was one of the first writers whose books I devoured one by one. I really learned to read and have a love of reading because of Little House on the Prairie books. It helped that Little House on the Prairie was an actual television show at the time and I was the same age as the main character, Laura Ingalls. It also helped that I could count on my grandma giving me a new Little House book in the series each time a birthday rolled around. By the time I was ready to move on to Mark Twain, I had a complete set of the Little House books.
Before I knew it, I was telling my imaginary kindergarteners the tale of my two little girls who needed a nap because they were being naughty! Suddenly I awoke from my reverie and realized I was writing a story--a family history story. I ran to my computer to get it down before it flew out of my head.
P.S. I read my story, "Two Little Girls," to a class of kindergarteners today and they loved it! I told them afterwards that the story was about my two girls who are now 24 and 21. They were so full of questions, we did not have time to read another story!
Do you have a favorite way to record your family history? Has this changed through the years? Who or what is your inspiration?
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| Read my family history story, Two Little Girls |
Little House was a Family History
As an adult, I realized just how amazing the Little House books really were in terms of family history. After all, the stories were actually reminisces of Laura Ingall Wilder's own childhood. I thought how wonderful if everyone wrote down their life history in story form. Looking through my own family history records left by my dear grandmother, I finally sat down to read the life history she had written many years ago as part of a church genealogy project. It was then that I realized Grandma had followed a similar pattern to the one Laura Ingalls Wilder used. Grandma's words drew me in and I did not put the manuscript down until I reached the last page. Grandma even created helpful diagrams and maps of her old homeplace.Our Family Stories
As I was recently studying a children's literacy text, I was reminded of a favorite book, The Napping House, by Audrey Wood. This rumination led me to think how I might begin sharing The Napping House with a group of kindergarteners. I thought about the times when my children were little and took naps and how they actually refused to take a real nap. They did take naps but usually in various places and out of shear exhaustion--never in their actual bed. (How many of us adults would gladly take those naps now?)Before I knew it, I was telling my imaginary kindergarteners the tale of my two little girls who needed a nap because they were being naughty! Suddenly I awoke from my reverie and realized I was writing a story--a family history story. I ran to my computer to get it down before it flew out of my head.
Record Your Family Stories
To me, this is how family history should be recorded. Names, dates, places can all be woven into the REAL story of your life. These stories can be illustrated with actual photos, or children's drawings, or an artist's rendering (especially if you are the artist!)P.S. I read my story, "Two Little Girls," to a class of kindergarteners today and they loved it! I told them afterwards that the story was about my two girls who are now 24 and 21. They were so full of questions, we did not have time to read another story!
Do you have a favorite way to record your family history? Has this changed through the years? Who or what is your inspiration?
