Sounds interesting!  Here are just a couple of thoughts I had, coming from
more of a family history background than a museum background....

First, of course, figure out what exactly your goals will be for the
program.  Are you wanting to give them a basic introduction in genealogical
research?  Are you wanting to show people what kind of documents you have as
a society?  Or are you wanting to teach them more generally about Illinois
research?  All of the above? You might consider contacting an accredited or
certified genealogist in your area for consulting. (Or try to get someone
who does it as a hobby - they might be more inclined to help you out for
free....)  He or she can give you good information on what kind of records
are most important for doing the research in your area.

For the kids, you might consider locating and displaying old letters,
journals, or personal papers of one of the ancestors of a staff member, if
at all possible.  Genealogy can be somewhat abstract for youth; they can
lose interest in it pretty quickly unless it's tied to someone they know or
see.  Also, see if you can find personal information (journals, letters,
etc.) for kids of all different age groups - that way, when you have classes
come in, you have specific items saying that this is the kind of thing that
your ancestor might have done when he/she was your age, or when you were 8,
etc.  That kind of thing would also work well for younger children.

Good luck - I'd be happy to answer any specific questions off the list based
on what your goals are for the project!

Janell Vasquez
Association of Personal Historians Webmaster
http://www.personalhistorians.org



>From: "Macon Co. Historical Society" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Family History Education
>Date: Thu, 3 Jun 1999 09:35:05 -0500
>
>I have recently been given the assignment to create a family history
>education program for our museum.  I am looking for any existing programs
>or information that will help with this project.  We are currently
>considering using it for both adult and older children.  Any input would be
>appreciated.  Thanks
>
>Barb
>www.fgi.net/~mchs


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://museums.state.nm.us/nmmnh/museum-l.html. You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).