So the Reunion is officially schedule and YOU ALL BEST BE THERE! Anyway, as we begin to plan, we need your ideas of activities and/games. To make sure this is an exciting and fun time for all please share your thoughts. Please share your ideas and suggestions here!
And if you want in on the action please VOLUNTEER to help out planning! Kristie already said she'd help out. I'm not sure how we are going to do it with the distance probably conference calls. But we'll make it work.
love ya!
Deals
1 year ago
6 comments:
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=4668 Like ideas #5, 10, 11 (modify it to maybe a book or something), 12, 14,17 and 18 and 24.
Video History
The best thing I've ever seen at a family reunion was very simple to set up......get a nice comfortable chair and put it under a tree, or on the porch (something shady). Next, set up a video camera on a tripod (if no one owns one you can use, call camera stores about rentals. It's pretty inexpensive for a single day). Buy lots and lots of blank tapes (if you don't take them out of the wrapper and save the receipt, you can return what doesn't get used and still not run out at the reunion). Next, ask each person (or family) to sit in the chair and tell about their family, the extended family and any family history or lore that they know about. This is especially great if you have several elderly members attending. Ask them to talk about what the reunions were like "back when", or about how their life was as children, etc.
This makes a wonderful family history that sadly, once those elderly folks pass away will never be known by the next generation(s). Then....next year set up the tapes inside the house, while taping outside again. It is a hoot to watch the goings on from last year....and even if it's the same people at the reunion this year they always remember new stuff.
You might want to mention ahead of time that this will be done, so that people can start to think about what they know about "their" side of the family and maybe even look through their photo albums to jog their memory. This helps too if you have mostly shy types at your reunion, as no one likes to be stuck in front of a camera and told to "say something"......preparing for it makes it easier...plus is a fun family activity (what will we say???) for the drive to the reunion!
The other advice I'd give is to have some activities planned, but also plan lots of just free time....reunions are a time to reconnect with family you haven't seen.....and you can do a lot of visiting while you are doing sack races! And just a few outdoor toys and lots of open space will keep children entertained while the adults talk.
Family Trivial Pursuit
Something I'm considering for my family is developing a family trivial pursuit game. The questions wouldn't have to be very difficult, but more informational.
Another idea I'm working on is a "memory" or "concentration" game like those we had as kids that have 54 with 26 pairs of pictures on them I'm using the lids to frozen juice "cans" and I'll attach color-photocopies of family members with their names. A great way for the grandkids to learn about their family. Along those lines, maybe a set of "flash cards" with more information, like date of birth, where they live, etc?
Something we're already working is a family history (you could interview the older folks about their memories and tape them). If you have that sort of thing gathered already, maybe you could make a presentation, with a slide show!
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/980625c.cfm
Time Capsule
This is an activity which also needs to be announced prior to the reunion. Ask each family to contribute something which represents themselves or their family to be placed in a time capsule. Choose a date when the capsule should be opened and store it someplace with the instructions as to when it can be cracked open (ten, twenty, fifty years). Mister Spiffy wants to point out that even though it would be fun to open a 50 year old time capsule, those who add to the capsule often aren't around 50 years later.
Hey Alissa, aren't you supposed to be working? Quit blogging and surfing and make some phone calls!!!!!!!!!!!
My idea? Let's have a twister tournament!!
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