I love toys, and what better way to help kids learn about their ancestors than through the toys they play with?
Ancestor Dolly--My Aunt Katherine is only three years older than I am. No, BTW, I don't call her "Aunt Katherine." I do not think she'd like that. Anyway, when she was young, a little native American girl named Bernice came to live with my grandparents, and she was Katherine's special friend. Sadly, Bernice didn't stay long because she was understandably homesick. When she left, Katherine was heart broken. A few days later, my grandma came into the room where Katherine and I were playing and handed Katherine a custom-made rag doll with thick black braids saying, "Her name is Bernice." Of course her new dolly could not take the place of the real Bernice, but it did help Katherine remember her friend. This experience brings me to my first idea--an ancestor doll. Is your daughter named after her great grandma? Does your grand daugther have curly hair like Aunt Sue? Why not make a rag doll dressed in period clothes with the same features of an ancestor? Remember Cabbage Patch dolls, how they came with papers stating their names, etc? This special dolly could come with papers about your ancestor. American Girl Dolls have books about their characters, maybe your ancestor dolly will also come with a book about her life. She, of course,will be better than any dolly you can buy at the store. First, because it will be made by you, and second because it will be a reminder to your daughter of someone who really lived and who loved her even before she was born. If you want your dolly to have the exact face of your ancestor, check out my coloring book post. Use the same instructions there to print out a a line drawing of your ancestor's face on iron-on paper and use it for the dolly's face.
Ancestor Paper Dolls--Is the above idea too much work? Try mustering your drawing abilities and making ancestor paper dolls with features of ancestors and clothes from their period. Though they may be lacking in artistry, your little child will love them because of who made them and who they represent.
Family History Car Mat--When my brothers were little, they had a canvas mat that they would roll out flat on the floor, "driving" their matchbox cars to various beloved destinations. The matt was custom made by my mom and included places her kids were familiar with like TG&Y and their elementary school. Roads connected the places, and the boys had a blast driving the roads to church, home, etc. It is probably obvious where I am going with this. It would be pretty easy to make a similar mat as a gift for a sweet grandson with historical places to drive to. The walk by the river where Grandpa and Grandma got married would be there along with the old homestead where they lived without electricity and water for a time. A mat like that would know no borders, with the air base where Grandpa trained to be an air traffic control man just two turns away from the temple where your their parents and grandparents were married, making you all a family forever.
Stay tuned--Hopefully there will be more ideas to come!
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