“On rainy mornings my granddad used to ride a horse and carrage to scool.”
“Now Grandma liks Jesus music. Back then, she liked the Beetles Rock and Roll.”
There’s just something magical about little kids explaining how their grandparents lived. One of my favorite studies in first grade was our learning about “Life Long Ago.” How better for little kids to imagine such a time – than through their grandparent’s eyes?
Our Grandparent Study
September
Our school celebrated “It’s a Grand Day,” inviting these beloved people into our world. My class sang Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA and Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors (using the old timey video!) We read to them chorus-style, from books featuring Audrey Wood’s snoring granny in The Napping House to Joy Cowley’s Grandpa, Grandpa. We asked them to fill out surveys on their most admired people and what vegetables they grew.
But our favorite part was passing the microphone and inviting them to share their first-grade memories. We giggled over their lunchbox stories, gasped over pranks and potential spankings, and smiled in camaraderie.
October
Some years, we created surveys, mailed them, and waited. As responses rolled in, we tallied their favorite foods for Thanksgiving celebrations, plotted hometowns on maps, and marveled over some of their memories.
November-December
Children selected one grandparent to study in-depth. (Yes, it was hard to decide! Plus, we didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Some kids promised their remaining grandparents they’d be back to study them as well.) A few children over the years delved into lives of their great-grandparents, great-aunts or uncles as well. They began interviewing, gathering stories, and borrowing photographs.
Having November and December to research gave opportunities for children to capture more information over Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and other winter holidays. It also gave them the chance to look closely at their traditions with new eyes. For children whose grandparents lived in a different country, it provided time for resources to be mailed. (Thank goodness for Skype, Zoom, and Facebook Messenger. These grandparents have embraced technology.)
All along, our young researchers planned, took notes, sketched, and created their grandparent expert projects. Their goal was to condense their information into a keepsake book, the perfect size for future generations to browse through!
January - The Presentation Days!
Ah, the highly-anticipated presentation days! Our young historians carried their masterpieces into class—bright eyes, broad smiles, and fluttery stomachs.
One by one, children presented their beloved Mimis, Pawpaws, and Abuelas. The stories and photos (old “black and whites” alongside selfies) brought esteemed people to life for us in Room #202. We videotaped their ten-minute presentations and the captivating “Questions and Comments” that followed.
As the projects flowed one after another, the children’s depth of knowledge about their grandparents’ lives incredibly influenced their questions and comments to their friends’ projects. They easily noted similarities and differences in the ways their grandparents had lived and worked. Many children remembered meeting these grandparents in September or other times they had visited our class. Towards the end of the Questions and Comments, I always raised my hand to share things I had learned. I made sure to point out compelling parts of the project as well.
At the end of each project, we all clapped and cheered. Occasionally, the presenter would say, “Hey, I wanna do it again!” 😊
Changing Technology
At the end of the days, I worked to convert the technology and share the video clip with parents. Some children planned family movie nights with grandparents to relive the whole experience. Their families loved seeing the projects—and equally appreciated hearing their friends’ questions and comments. They also were able to receive immediate feedback on their hard work.
In my first years of teaching, we used videotapes that we passed back and forth. In more recent ones of course, technology really changed. Over the years, I’ve noticed that some of our children’s presentations were viewed over 40 times!
Compelling Thoughts from Our Grandparents
Through the years, I’d always been fascinated by this prompt: “What historical event had the biggest impact on your life?” Grandparents often cited the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Moon Landing. In later years, more mentioned the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and 9/11 attacks.
The unique answers children chose often struck me, too.
Another poignant memory was hearing of a Filipino grandmother on the beach, watching American planes at World War II’s end. Her parents and siblings jumped and danced on the sand as the planes roared in. “The Americans saved us!”
My mother reminisced on the war, too, with my daughter’s project. She remembered her mother kneeling by her rocking chair, lips moving in prayer. Late at night and early morning, Great-grandmother prayed for her son to return. Later, they discovered he had been in the Battle of the Bulge, yet unmistakably felt his mother’s prayers.
Significance
These projects brought such significance—teaching six-year-old researchers, seeing grandparents inspire them, and knowing the impact they will have on future generations. The words in Psalm 78 mirror some of these ideals.
Though I taught in public school, God moved through the engagements I offered. Some parents grabbed the opportunity of highlighting God’s goodness to their family, just as I did with my daughter and her great-uncle in the Battle of the Bulge.
Fifteen years ago, I received a telephone call from a former parent. Although her son was in high school, surprisingly she called to talk about those first-grade projects. “I honestly thought they were a little too hard back then. But, I just had to call you. You see, my son’s great-aunt died unexpectedly. He came home and dug out that book he had made years earlier to take to the funeral home… I’m just calling to say, ‘Thank you.’”
Now I reflect differently. Some of those grandparents have come and gone. Whenever I see an obituary or Facebook post acknowledging their passing, my heart is drawn back to those memories. I hope that I’ve remembered them accurately and given their story justice. (Many more children have worked steadfastly on these projects. I wish I had images of them all!) But I rest in the fact that their lives made an unforgettable difference to these little ones who will move forward, stronger for the ideals, traditions, and love their grandparents passed on to them. What a gift to have played a small part in capturing priceless memories for future generations.
Wow! I am crying right now! What a difference you made not in those children’s lives, but the lives of those they honored. It is beautiful to see children honoring their family and elders as well as learning from their experience and wisdom. So much learning!
Kudos to you and the impact you had on those littles, and the world.
Aw, Liz! Thank you so much! Those children certainly impacted me, too.😍 I am grateful for the sweet lives we shared!🩷 I appreciate you reading and commenting, too. Thanks so much! Jennifer
Oops…that should say ‘ not ONLY those children’s lives’.
Coffee may not have kicked in yet!
My daughter was in Ms. Barnes’ class and completed this project about her Grandma Janie. It has become one our families’ most precious artifacts. The opportunity that Sally and Janie had to connect during that project was powerful.
You continue to inspire…..