Are you looking for a modern family tree project to complete with your grandchildren? I’m sharing one I found on Etsy that I think would be super fun to complete for ancestors and start for future generations. Family trees are typically a tree diagram that might work their way into a massive list of names in the roots or the branches area depending on which generation you place in the tree trunk and how far you take it over time.
What about conceptualizing family history via a circle? That’s what came to mind as I prepared to write this post; sure enough, Etsy had me covered! You can download this beautiful diagram and work it out to six or seven generations.
It would be great to fill one out for each grandchild with them at the center, then work back through ancestors. Depending on the grandchild's age, I can also visualize ways to start with a grandchild at the center, and they could expand outward as they marry and have children. Over time the family tree project could hold as many as fourteen generations worth of family history.
It might take a bit of creative dividing of family member data as the chart would not be completed in straightforward 2x2 sets of couples at each level but rather based on the number of children born at each generational circle. It could be done and potentially become a life-long and even multi-generational family tree project.
As fall settles and temperatures drop, we all spend more time indoors.
A family tree project and time spent reflecting on our heritage is a perfect lead into next month's Thanksgiving holiday. Family history and heritage is essential for all of us. It forms a foundation for who we become and ties us to the greater human experience. A family tree project can be a cathartic way of beginning to recognize and celebrate who we are as individuals and within our family ties.
In pursuit of the bigger picture, consider adding details, if not to the family tree directly, then to an ancillary family data sheet. In addition to capturing names, birth, and death dates, try to gather tidbits of family history. Create a numbering system that ties individuals listed in the family tree into a family data sheet companion.
Computers and the ability to do online research make a modern family tree project much more feasible and dynamic. The Etsy document I shared above is beyond my artistic ability to create. Still, it is so beautiful I can appreciate how it would look complete with my personal family information.
Websites that teach about genealogy or allow community info to be uploaded expand the available data.
Take some time to explore family tree artwork on Etsy or other sites, and then get a project going with your grandchildren. Share the big family picture with them and set the stage for the future. Encourage them to see their place in the ever-expanding history of your bloodlines.
Have you found any family tree project tools you love? Please share with other GPAZ community members!
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