Become Your Family Historian

"This is My Life"

The Model has invited children of all ages to tell their family story, through recordings, storytelling and bookmaking. Through this special oral history project Become Your Family Historian, children have been creating a unique document for their grand-parents, which they can keep or present as a gift in the form of an audio recording, a book or a special album.

This unique inter-generational project invites exchange and in the spirit of reciprocity, we would like to invite you to create a special album  or book as a gift for your grand-child.

As albums and scrapbooks are a nostalgic link to the past and hold some of our most precious memories; making one for your grandchild is a gift of a life-time.

We recommend the following approaches

  • A book can be made in many ways and often the most beautiful are made from re-cycled old scrapbooks. Whatever you decide to use, the cover is what can make it a real treasure – something to have and to hold forever. With a little bit of creativity, you can cover it with anything you wish, from pressed flowers encased in re-cycled plastic wrapping to wallpaper, pages from favourite magazines or fabric. Basic clues such as copydex or a craft glue can be used to stick the cover on or make a collage.

 

  • The content can be whatever holds a special memory for you – images from your own personal photo collection, to newspaper cuttings and souvenirs, e.g. train/airplane tickets or old stamps. Movie stubs or a favourite family recipe passed down through the family could also be included.

 

  • Handwritten letters and postcards would enrich your story, especially as handwriting is so personal to each of us.

 

  • Adding hand-written or typed descriptions throughout the book, as well as a notes linking the images and elements of the book together will complete your unique personal history.

We hope you enjoy making this book and that it will be a special gift for your grandchild.

Download Activity

 

If you like, ask a parent or guardian to take a picture your book and share it with us #themodelinsideout

We will post your artwork on our website and Instagram account @modelsligo / #themodelinsideout

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