The images created by the simple connecting of dots remind me of the bigger picture drawn by knowing our family relationships. It’s also a great visual for family history sharing, especially with youth!
A few years ago, I took it upon myself to create a booklet of activities relating to ancestors for the children at our next family gathering to try out. I included a variety of activity types including crossword puzzles, coloring pages and connect-the-dots pictures.
The kids were really good sports about completing their booklets. (The promised candy prizes for completion of key pages probably helped 😉 I hoped it did not feel so much like homework as it did making fun discoveries through play. The reunion time ended, the booklets were shelved, and life moved on.
Then came the semester in which I took Genealogy as a Business through Brigham Young University-Idaho.
The assignments in that course required me to think of a possible genealogy business name, with business plan, marketing logo and more. In my brainstorming sessions for a logo, the memory of that activity booklet resurfaced. I realized that the connect-the-dots activity was a good mental representation of what genealogy research and family history-sharing accomplishes.
- The lines drawn to connect otherwise lonely dots represent family relationships. These family connections draw a “bigger picture” for our lives.
- Just as following the numbers from 1-100 is a simple exercise, family history-sharing can be simple and fun!
The semester concluded and I am saving for a future date the knowledge relating to genealogy as a business. For now, I would just like to share freely what is working for me. Hence, a blog!
Posts to Connect the Dots Genealogy’s blog will cover genealogy research tips and ideas for family history-sharing. That simple.
I hope some will find this information helps them to connect generations of their family!
connectthedotsgenealogy.com 