1) Sort & Digitize Family Photos
Ever since I started doing research in 2012, I've had boxes of photos that I have yet to sort and scan in that belonged to my grandma. So yesterday I decided this would be the perfect time to get started on that. But before I even started scanning, I had to sort my photos. When I got these from my grandma, they were just all thrown into a box. All mixed up. So through the years, I've been slowly sorting by date (or roundabout date if there wasn't any), event, and if they didn't go with anything else by person. I will go into more detail in another post about how I matched up photos with others.
I shared this idea in our Facebook group Genealogy Addicts Anonymous Dark Room (GAADR). This group is all about genealogy photos from questions to restoration. Lissa DuVall shared a wonderful tip with me. Scan them in according to Archival Standards.
See Image Below:
If you have hundreds of photos like me, do this in batches. You will get burned out. I saved these photos in a folder naming who gave it to me. So it's in the subfolder Ruth Wheeler in the main folder Collections. Once you do that, go through and add metadata to the photos. Any information you have from names, dates, location, author, etc. If you are unsure how to add metadata, I recommend looking up tutorials based on the software and computer you currently own. There are many different ways. On my windows laptop, there is an option to add properties (or metadata) to files. So that's how I do it.
2) Make a Scrapbook About This Event
This is something you can do with the kids. Whether we like it or not, this has affected our day to day lives all around the world. This is going to be in the history books for sure. So why not save some things for posterity. Have your kids join in on the fun. They can make their own scrapbook. Add photos, newspaper clippings, stories, thoughts, etc. You can go online and print out news stories or you can pick up some newspapers. The possibilities are endless.
3) Journal Your Thoughts & Experiences About This Event
How many times have we relished the idea of finding a journal written by our ancestors about their experiences? Why not start keeping a journal? Make it funny, serious, whatever suits you. Everyone always has things to say on the internet, jot down your own. Then put it away for your grandchildren to look back on. You can tell them about The Great Toilet Paper Shortage!
4) Teach Your Kids How Ancestors Survived Hardships
We are doing our best to grasp this situation as best as we can right now, but our kids don't know what to make of it. Their worlds are turned upside down. Normal is not normal right now. And while we have never dealt with something like this in our own lifetime, you know who has? Our Ancestors. They lived through Pandemics, Wars, Depressions, etc. Share this with your kids. Let them know that as a human race, we have survived many different catastrophes. Show them the things they did to survive. There are many videos on Depression Cooking on YouTube. Show them some recipes and if you feel adventurous (and you have the ingredients) give it a try. I read a book about the Great Depression that included stories from those who survived. The one common theme in the book was family. How their family pulled together to do everything that was necessary to survive. Kids say they felt loved and safe because of their parents. That's what we need to focus on right now. So let's make this interesting and fun.
5) Make Craft Relating To Family History/Genealogy
Do you know how many craft ideas are on Pinterest? Too many to count. Look for some craft ideas relating to family history or genealogy. These you can even do with your kids. There are tons of YouTube Tutorials as well. If you are looking for ideas, head over to our Facebook page Genealogy Addicts Anonymous Arts & Crafts (GAARC).
6) Document Your Family Heirlooms
I'm going to film an Auntie Jen's Two Cents about this topic so I am just going to briefly touch on this at the moment. We all have heirlooms that have been passed down from our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. But do you remember the story behind that heirloom? Was it passed down from many generations? Why not take some time and document all these items in a binder? At least go around and take photos right now. Then once you are done, upload them to a photo site like Shutterfly and order prints from them. They offer great deals for 4x6 prints. And you don't have to go out to get them. Just have them sent to your house. Once you receive them, then start working on the Heirloom Binder. Here is my video on Heirloom Binders:
7) Watch some Genealogy YouTube Videos
Every day more and more videos are being uploaded to YouTube that talk about Genealogy. Have you checked it out? I will share a few down here you absolutely need to check out.
- Auntie Jen's Family Trees
- Family History Fanatics
- Geneavlogger
- Genealogy TV
- Lisa Lisson
- Boundless Genealogy
- Useful Charts
- Photo Alchemist
- 5-Minute Genealogy
- The In-Depth Genealogist
- Kentucky Tennessee Research Associates
- Ancestor Explorer
- The Single Leaf
- Crista Cowan
- DNA Family Trees
8) Play Find a Grave
This one requires you getting out of the house, but you should be fine visiting a cemetery. You can even take the kids with you to help and it gets them out. You find a cemetery near your home, look up on Find a Grave if there are any photo requests, and then see if you can find them! If there aren't any requests, look at the memorials listed for that cemetery and see if there are any that don't have photos. You can tell them it's like Pokemon Go. You gotta find them all.
9) Buy Yourself a One Month Subscription to Ancestry
We don't know how long this is going to last, so why not treat yourself to a one month subscription to Ancestry.com to give yourself something to do in the downtime. See if there is anything you have put off researching because you didn't have a subscription. Make some new discoveries. Connect with cousins virtually. Have you checked out the Yearbook section? Try to find your parents or grandparents!
10) Attend #AncestryHour or #GenChat on Twitter
#AncestryHour happens once a week and #GenChat is usually once a month. It's a great time to discuss our common addiction: GENEALOGY. It will help you get out of your head for a while and just may answer some questions you may have been having about your research. Those two chat feeds are the reason I joined Twitter in the first place. Click on the links below to learn more.
So there you go! Ten things you can do to keep yourself occupied during this Pandemic. Have you already done some of these? Do you have any suggestions? Leave them in the comments below. We can all help each other get through this terrible crisis if we stick together... well... digitally. Keep up with the #SocialDistancing and the #SelfQuarantining. Whatever you do, document all you can about this event to add to your tree. Oh hey! There's another idea!
Bonus: Work on your own personal timeline!
You can even have the kids work on a small timeline for their lives.
Stay safe all!
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