Posts Tagged ‘kids genealogy’
The Civil War is being discussed everywhere this year for the 150th anniversary. I just finished reading The Boys’ War by Jim Murphy. This book is about Confederate and Union boy soldiers and their war experiences. The book is a short read and probably best for kids in 3rd grade or older.
The book takes the reader on a journey through the Civil War from the boys’ points of view. It starts with the beginning of the Civil War and the frenzy to sign up and fight the opposition. The author describes the mood and willingness to join the armies. The author then moves to the training and fighting experiences of the boys to the changes the boys undergo over time. The boys notice that what once would have made them ill, like seeing a dead soldier, no longer does. The book ends discussing the prisoner of war camps and the treatment of the wounded. I felt out of all the chapters in the book this was the most graphic and I’m sure compared to adult reading it is very tame.
Throughout the book many examples and quotes are provided from actual diaries kept by boy soldiers and musicians. The book is filled with photographs of boy soldiers so the reader really gets an idea of just how young these boys were.
For those interested in Civil War history and how the younger generation participated, read The Boys’ War.
Something to Remember Me By A Story about Love & Legacies by Susan V. Bosak with Laurie McGaw is a book about a grandmother going through the early stages of Alzheimers.
The story begins with a little girl baking cookies with her grandmother. As the story progresses, the girl grows up and her grandmother ages. The grandmother promised the little girl her cedar chest when she grew up. The day came when the girl was grown up and married and heard from her grandmother that it was time to come get the chest. Her grandmother was going to move out of her house and into a nursing home.
The girl visits her grandmother and together they sort through the cedar chest. Together they finish cleaning out her house and prepare to move her to the nursing home. The grandmother says she is worried she will forget her granddaughter. The granddaughter gives her a photograph of the two of them together and writes on the back “Something to remember me by.”
The girl visits her grandmother at the end of her life and instead of seeing the woman she remembers, she sees a woman with a blank look on her face. After sitting with her grandmother and telling her how wonderful she is, the grandmother smiles and turns toward her nightstand. Inside is the photograph of the two of them.
Read the book to find out the ending.
When Tyler found out I was interview Luke and then letting Luke interview me, he had to get in on the action. If you missed Tyler’s interview, check out the previous post. Today, he is interviewing good old mom.
Q: What kind of book do you like to read outside when we are biking?
A: I like to read almost anything. Historical fiction, history, genealogy, love stories. Books that grab my attention.
Q: What’s your favorite book out of these cat in the hat books?
A: I like One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish the best.
Q: What kind of food you like best?
A: I like chocolate, pizza, ice cream, salad, and steak.
Q: So which kind of book is coming that you want?
A: I want Deborah Harkness to release the second book in the three book series of A Discovery of Witches. I loved her first book and cannot wait for the second and third.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do?
A: I have a few favorite things. I like to research my family history. I like to travel, especially to warm, sunny beaches. I like to read and see movies and I like to scrapbook.
Q: Why is it that you can’t let Drew watch his TV at daytime?
A: Drew is at school so he can’t watch TV during the day.
Q: What is your favorite number?
A: 6
I typed the questions as Tyler asked them. If you read Luke’s interview then you will see his questions are very different than the ones Tyler asked me.
Thanks for interviewing me Tyler!
This picture really sums up Tyler’s personality. Big, bold, loud, ready for anything, always on the move. Right now he’s sitting quietly next to me waiting for his interview to start.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do at home?
A: Throw snowballs. Ty is being a little uncooperative currently. I think his favorite thing is to play on the computer. He is very good with the computer.
Q: How old are you?
A: Five years old.
Q: What is your favorite toy?
A: My hockey gear, my toys outside, and my toys in the sandbox.
Q: What are some things you like to do outside?
A: Ride my bike, play baseball, swing, cook (pretend cooking). “I’m Chef Tyler.”
Q: What is something fun you do with mom?
A: Go to the library.
Q: What are some things you do at school?
A: I play basketball in the gym sometimes. Play when it is time for centers. Play with the toys.
Q: Tell me about your favorite book.
A: I have a lot right now. All Dr. Seuss. Hop on Pop, Cat in the Hat, One Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham. (I should note today is Dr. Seuss’s birthday March 2, when I am interviewing Tyler.)
Thanks for the interview Tyler. I know he is very anxious to interview me so come back and check out his interview with me in a couple days!
This is Luke. He’s a Chicago Blackhawks hockey lover and this is how he is usually dressed when he’s at home. Sometimes he wears more gear and plays goalie. He is a great ice skater and is amazing at roller blading.
Luke is interested in his family history, especially his cousin Robert Brouk, who was a Flying Tiger in China 1941-1942. Luke is sitting here with me ready for an interview. Let’s see what he has to say.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do at home?
A: Play hockey.
Q: Why do you like Bob Brouk? Why do you think he’s cool?
A: I like the Army and his airplane. I made his airplane out of paper and colored the teeth on the front and colored the wings.
Q: What else do you like about your family history?
A: I like the military guys in our family like Frankie.
Q: What other things do you like?
A: Helicopters, airplaines, firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do in kindergarten?
A: Making new friends.
Q: What is something your mom makes you do at home that you don’t like to do?
A: Cleaning my bedroom! But I kind of like cleaning the bathroom sometimes.
Q: How old are you now?
A: 5 years old.
Q: Have you lost any teeth yet?
A: I have a loose tooth.
Q: What are your favorite things to do in the summer?
A: Swimming. Play outside. Make pictures of outside and me in the pool.
Q: What is something fun you do with your dad?
A: Play hockey and play grizzly bear.
Q: What are two things you have that you love more than anything in the whole world?
A: My Auntie Patti Blanket and my Chicago Wolves Hockey t-shirt.
Q: Tell me something you are very good at.
A: Drawing. (Luke can draw very well and is always trying to draw new things like “Bob Brouk Stuff” as he says.)
Thanks Luke for the interview. Mom will keep this for your scrapbook.
Parents, if you want to interview your kids, write down what they say, how they say it. You may look back on it some day and laugh at how they worded certain things.
Looking for another great book for kids about family history? Check out Grandpa Baxter and the Photographs by Caroline Castle and Peter Bowman.
Grandpa Baxter and grandson Benjamin are fuzzy bears. They are looking through a closet under the stairs one day and discover an old rusty tin of photographs. Together they spend the day looking at the photographs and talking about the family and their history. The little bear Benjamin learns a lot about his genealogy and has a special day with his grandpa.
This is a great story for grandparents to read with their grandchildren and create new memories.