Family Tree Craft

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Autumn brings falling leaves, and brings our attention to the upcoming holiday season. Here is a family craft project that combines art with instruction on their ancestors. Plan to tell your child about each person on the family tree as you work on that portion. You will want to make the tree over several sessions.

[edit] Supplies

16 x 24 sheet of foam board
16x24 sheet of brown paper
Construction paper – Red, Yellow, Orange
Sheet of white paper
Pencil
Black marker
Scissors
Glue stick

[edit] Instructions

Begin by drawing out the genealogy of your family on a plain piece of paper. Make it in the shape of a tree – your children go in the center, above that put you and their father, then your parents above that and so on. Make the tree go back as far as you have information. List the full name, birth date, and date of death for every person you have info on.
Take the brown paper and lightly draw a tree on it with a pencil. Keep the family tree structure in mind while sketching – you will need a trunk on the bottom where the kids will go, then a main branch that splits in two where you and your parents will go, and branches that keep splitting until you have enough to complete your tree.
When you are satisfied with the tree, trace over the lines with black marker
Cut the tree shape out
Glue the tree to the foam board with the glue stick
Cut out enough leaf shapes so that you have one for each member of the family from the red, orange and yellow paper. You do not need any leaves for your kids, as their names will get written on the trunk of the tree.
On each leaf, write one family members full name, birth date and date of death if they have passed on.
Begin constructing the tree by writing your children’s names on the trunk of the tree.
Next, place your leaf on the branch closest to the trunk
Place the leaves for your parents on the branches above you, and so on.
Repeat the process for the paternal side of the family on the other side of the tree.