Friday, November 14, 2014

Getting Kids Hooked on Family History - 3 New Children's Activity Books

The following is from Family ChartMasters & Zap the Grandma Gap.




Getting Kids Hooked on Family History

November 15, 2014, Sisters Janet Hovorka and Amy Slade announce the release of their new My Mormon Ancestor, My Jewish Ancestor and My Pioneer Ancestor activity books for youth, ages 6-14, as part of their Zap The Grandma Gap “My Ancestors” series.  These 52-page activity books encourage youth to ask questions and delve into the history of their family in a fun way. The “My Ancestors” hands-on workbooks create bonds between generations with hours of activities, puzzles, games, recipes, stories and crafts that can involve the entire family. Timelines, paper dolls, coloring pages, maps, music, dot-to-dots and crossword puzzles combine to give youth ownership of their own genealogy and the send them on a quest to bring their family history to life.

“If you are looking for concrete ideas for sharing your family history and inspiring the next generation, look no further. Janet’s passion for the power of family history in the lives of today’s busy families shines throughout the pages!”  asserts Lisa Louise Cooke, host of The Genealogy Gems Podcast, referencing Hovorka’s companion book, Zap the Grandma Gap. Likewise, these new children’s workbooks are designed to help kids gain the benefits of family history and start asking their family members about their shared past.   Studies have shown that greater knowledge about family history strengthens and empowers youth by creating self-esteem, resilience and a greater sense of control over their lives. Learning about the family's past also strengthens the relationships between living family members by creating a shared experience and core identity that no one else in the world can duplicate.  

These books make wonderful gifts for the holidays. Take advantage of the pre-release sale, 20% off all books at zapthegrandmagap.com, till November 30, 2014. Excerpts from the books can be viewed on the website at zapthegrandmagap.com/brandnewbooks. Additional pages will be previewed in the coming weeks on the blog at zapthegrandmagap.blogspot.com. Other great online and print resources to help families connect to each other by connecting to their past can be found at zapthegrandmagap.com.

With the “My Jewish Ancestor Activity Book” you can:
· Learn about Jewish history, traditions and culture
· Make and braid Challah bread with your family
· Solve a Jewish calendar crossword puzzle
· Record your family’s recipe for Charoset
· Find your family’s place in the Diaspora
· Learn the Hebrew alphabet
· Complete a genealogy word search
· Enjoy a Yiddish folktale and Nasrudin stories
· Color, cut out and tell stories with Jewish ancestor paper dolls
· Explore many other activities about your family’s history

With the “My Mormon Ancestor Activity Book” you can:
· Plan an ancestor Family Home Evening
· Learn about priesthood line of authority and how to trace it
· Find the patriarchal blessings of your ancestors
· Complete a temple dot-to-dot
· Document the church service and callings of your ancestors
· Gather information on your family’s missionaries
· Record information about the first LDS members of your family
· Make a handkerchief doll for church
· Explore many other activities about your family’s history

With the “My Pioneer Ancestor Activity Book” you can:
· Map out the pioneer route of your ancestors
· Decide what you would pack for a journey across the plains
· Learn how to find direction by the sun
· Compare your day to the day in the life of your ancestor
· Try classic pioneer recipes
· Write a Pony Express letter to a pioneer ancestor
· Play a game about the risks along the trail
· Contrast pioneer schools and modern schools
· Explore many other activities about your family’s history

About the author: Janet Hovorka received a B.A. in Ancient Near Eastern History and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from BYU. She and her husband, Kim Hovorka, own Family ChartMasters (www.familychartmasters.com), award winning printers for most of the genealogy software and database companies. She is the past president of the Utah Genealogical Association and teaches courses in library skills and genealogy at Salt Lake Community College. Janet writes The Chart Chick blog (www.thechartchick.com), has written for numerous genealogy publications and has presented countless lectures all over the world to help people learn more about their past.

Previous books in the Zap The Grandma Gap collection include Zap the Grandma Gap: Connect With Your Family by Connecting Them To Their Family History by Janet Hovorka, Zap the Grandma Gap Power Up Workbook: The Particulars About How To Connect With Your Family by Connecting Them To Their Family History by Janet Hovorka, My British Ancestor, My German Ancestor, My Civil War Ancestor and My Swedish Ancestor all by Janet Hovorka and Amy Slade. 

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