50 Jar Gifts: idea #18 “Anyone” Story Prompts

Posted on April 23, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Anyone Story Prompts

This is the fifth in the series of story prompt jar gifts with questions geared for anyone. The idea is a set of questions in a jar that you can pull out to help anyone to remember and record some of the events from their lives. I printed it on chipboard but they could be printed on cardstock. There is a different color on each end of the question so that once you have answered it you can turn it over in the jar and keep track of which questions you haven’t answered yet. The questions are intended you spark your memory and lead you to other thoughts and memories. Let your them flow and see where they take you.

back of story prompt questions

The first sheet in the file is the back of the story prompts. This sheet is optional but it helps in keeping track of which set of story prompts the question comes from and adds more color to the jar. I start by printing four copies of the first page (full bleed if your printer has that option) and then feed these pages back into the printer to print the question pages. (You should refer to your printer manual to know the right way to feed these into your printer.)

anyone story prompt questions

The next four sheets are the questions. After printing these pages need to be cut apart by cutting the sheet in half (the long way) at 5.5″ and then every 1 1/16″ to finish cutting the questions apart. I also like to use a corner rounder on each question but that is optional. But it looks nice and will help the questions not get so dog-eared with use.

anyone story prompts question sheet

anyone story prompt questions

The last page has an insert for the canning jar lid (wide mouth quart or pint and a half work great) and a set of tags to tie on to the jar with simple instructions. There is a journal cover so that you can also give them a place to record the memories for sharing and future reference. Cut another piece of chipboard or heavy cardstock for the back along with some blank or lined paper for the inside. Then bind them together by your chosen method. I’m lucky enough to have a wire binding machine but you can get the journal bound at your local copy center. This sheet isn’t strictly necessary but it helps pull the gift together into a nice package.

journal cover, lid and labels

I am putting the jar and journal in a gift bag along with some treats to munch on while answering the questions to help get them started on recording their memories.

Feel free to use these files for personal use and gifts. You can download pdfs here.

Questions come from those at StoryCorps.org.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts (tellingfamilytales.com)

50 Jar Gifts: idea #16 “Children” Story Prompts

Posted on February 18, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Children’s Story Prompt Jar

This is the fourth in a series of story prompt jar gifts with questions geared for kids. The idea is a set of questions in a jar that you can pull out to help a child to remember and record some of the events from their lives. I printed it on chipboard but they could be printed on cardstock. There is a different color on each end of the question so that once you have answered it you can turn it over in the jar and keep track of which questions you haven’t answered yet. The questions are intended you spark kids memory and lead them to other thoughts and memories. Let their ideas flow and see where they take you.

back of story prompts sheet

The first sheet in the file is the back of the story prompt. This sheet is optional but it helps in keeping track of which set of story prompts the question comes from and adds more color to the jar. I start by printing four copies of the first page (full bleed if your printer has that option) and then feed these pages back into the printer to print the question pages. (You should refer to your printer manual to know the right way to feed these into your printer.)

story prompts question sheets

The next four sheets are the questions. After printing these pages need to be cut apart by cutting the sheet in half (the long way) at 5.5″ and then every 1 1/16″ to finish cutting the questions apart. I also like to use a corner rounder on each question but that is optional. Though it looks nice and will help the questions not get so dog-eared with use.

story prompts question sheets

story prompts question sheet

jar lid, tags and journal cover sheet

I am putting the jar and journal in a gift bag along with some treats to munch on while answering the questions to help get them started on recording their memories.

Feel free to use these files for personal use and gifts. You can download pdfs here.

Questions come from those at StoryCorps.org.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts (tellingfamilytales.com)

50 Jar Gifts: idea #12 “Parents” Story Prompts

Posted on January 20, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Parents Story Prompts

The third in the series of story prompt jar gifts with questions geared for parents. The idea is a set of questions in a jar that you can pull out to help parents to remember and record some of the events from their lives. I printed it on chipboard but they could be printed on cardstock. There is a different color on each end of the question so that once you have answered it you can turn it over in the jar and keep track of which questions you haven’t answered yet. The questions are intended you spark your memory and lead you to other thoughts and memories. Let your them flow and see where they take you.

back of story prompt sheets

The first sheet in the file is the back of the story prompt. This sheet is optional but it helps in keeping track of which set of story prompts the question comes from and adds more color to the jar. I start by printing six copies of the first page (full bleed if your printer has that option) and then feed these pages back into the printer to print the question pages. (You should refer to your printer manual to know the right way to feed these into your printer.)

Story Prompt Question Sheet

The next six sheets are the questions. After printing these pages need to be cut apart by cutting the sheet in half (the long way) at 5.5″ and then every 1 1/16″ to finish cutting the questions apart. I also like to use a corner rounder on each question but that is optional. But it looks nice and will help the questions not get so dog-eared with use.

Story Prompt Question Sheet

Jar Lid, Tags and Journal Cover Sheet

I put the jar in a gift bag along with some treats to munch on while answering the questions to help get them started on recording their memories.

Feel free to use these files for personal use and gifts. You can download pdfs here.

Questions come from those at StoryCorps.org.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts (tellingfamilytales.com)

50 Jar Gifts: idea #10 “Grandparents” Story Prompts

Posted on December 31, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Grandparents Story Prompts

This is the second in a series of story prompt jar gifts with questions geared for grandparents. At first I called it Old Age prompts but decided that might be offensive to some of the grandparents on my gift list. The idea is a set of questions in a jar that you can pull out to help a grandparent to remember and record some of the events from their lives. I printed it on chipboard but they could be printed on cardstock. There is a different color on each end of the question so that once you have answered it you can turn it over in the jar and keep track of which questions you haven’t answered yet. The questions are intended you spark your memory and lead you to other thoughts and memories. Let your them flow and see where they take you.

Grandparents Story Prompts back side

The first sheet in the file is the back of the story prompt. This sheet is optional but it helps in keeping track of which set of story prompts the question comes from and adds more color to the jar. I start by printing six copies of the first page (full bleed if your printer has that option) and then feed these pages back into the printer to print the question pages. (You should refer to your printer manual to know the right way to feed these into your printer.)

Grandparents Story Prompts

Grandparents Story Prompts Journal cover and Jar labels

I am putting the jar and journal in a gift bag along with some treats to munch on while answering the questions to help get them started on recording their memories.

Feel free to use these files for personal use and gifts. You can download pdfs here.

Questions come from those at StoryCorps.org.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts (tellingfamilytales.com)

50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts

Posted on December 14, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Remembering Story Prompts Kit

Here is the first in a series of story prompt jar gifts. The idea is a set of questions in a jar that you can pull out to help you remember and record someone in your life who has died. I printed it on chipboard but they could be printed on cardstock. There is a different color on each end of the question so that once you have answered it you can turn it over in the jar and keep track of which questions you haven’t answered yet. The questions are intended you spark your memory and lead you to other thoughts and memories. Let your them flow and see where they take you.

printed Remembering Story Prompts kit

Story Prompts back

The first sheet in the file is the back of the story prompt. This sheet is optional but it helps in keeping track of which set of story prompts the question comes from and adds more color to the jar. I start by printing two copies of the first page (full bleed if your printer has that option) and then feed these pages back into the printer to print the question pages. (You should refer to your printer manual to know the right way to feed these into your printer.)

Story Prompt Questions

The next two sheets are the questions. After printing these pages need to be cut apart by cutting the sheet in half (the long way) at 5.5″ and then every 1 1/16″ to finish cutting the questions apart. I also like to use a corner rounder on each question but that is optional. But it looks nice and will help the questions not get so dog-eared with use.

Story Prompt Packaging and Journal Cover

I am putting the jar and journal in a gift bag along with some treats to munch on while answering the questions to help get them started on recording their memories of a loved one.

Feel free to use these files for personal use and gifts. You can download pdfs here.

Questions come from those at StoryCorps.org.

The Story Rug

Posted on June 25, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Illustration by G. Bjorn Thorkelson

I was reading “The Friend” (a children’s magazine published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) recently and I just had to post this story here. It features a rag rug made from old clothes with the idea that each piece of cloth reminds the rug maker of memories and stories from their life. What a great idea for a story project!

The Story Rug

By Kay Timpson

(Based on a true story)

Who knew so many stories could be wrapped up in one rug?

We as the children can seek out our loved ones, preserving their names and their memory (Children’s Songbook, 90–91).

Katy skipped along the sidewalk toward the big oak tree at the corner of her street. The old tree made Nana’s house easy to find.

As usual, Nana was sitting in her living room, quietly braiding and sewing strips of bright cloth. The polished wooden floors of Nana’s house were decorated with beautiful rugs that Nana made herself.

“Hello, honey,” Nana said as Katy came in. Soon they were talking about what Nana called the “old days.” They looked at black-and-white photos together. Katy especially liked seeing the clothes and hairstyles her relatives wore when they were younger.

“Things were very different then,” Nana said with a sigh. “You know, we didn’t have cars or TV or cell phones.”

Katy couldn’t even imagine having to walk everywhere. “What did you do for fun, Nana?” Katy asked.

“We loved to sing together. We would gather around the piano in the evening and sing our favorite songs. Sometimes we’d sing ourselves hoarse! It was such a fun time.”

Nana looked off into the yard as if she could rewind the years and watch them over again.

Katy sat next to the coiled rug that spilled off of Nana’s lap. She traced the careful stitches with her fingers.

“I’ve been thinking,” Nana said slowly. “How would you like to make your very own braided rug?”

Katy jumped up and clapped her hands.

“I would love to, Nana! Can we start today?”

Nana chuckled. “Well, there’s something you need to do first. Go home and gather up old clothes that we can cut into strips.”

Her eyes twinkled as she leaned toward Katy, her voice quiet as if she were sharing a secret.

“That’s what makes the rug special. Because it’s made of clothes, the rug can tell the story of your life. Each braid is like a chapter in a book about you. Looking at the fabric of an old dress can help you remember the places you wore it and what you did when you had it on.”

Katy’s eyes widened. She pointed to the rug Nana was braiding.

“Do you remember all about the cloth in this rug?”

Nana smiled. “You bet I do! This red piece is from the dress I wore when you were born. I remember pressing my nose to the glass window in the nursery to get a closer look at you. You were still all pink and wrinkly.”

Katy and Nana laughed together as Nana continued to tell Katy stories from the rug. As soon as Katy got home that night, she and Mama set aside old clothes that Katy could use for her rug.

The next day, Katy took the cloth to Nana’s house. Nana showed Katy how to cut the fabric into long strips, braid them, and sew the braids together.

Every day after school Katy went to work on the rug at Nana’s house.

Little by little, the rug grew. As the days went by Katy learned many of Nana’s stories by heart. Some days she was the one who told stories to Nana.

One day, after adding a blue strip of cloth that used to be a favorite pair of jeans, Katy rubbed the palm of her hand against the colorful braids.

“Don’t you think that rug is about done?” Nana asked, looking up from her work.

“Not yet,” Katy said with a smile. She never wanted this time with Nana to end.

The Many Mediums of a Story Project

Posted on May 29, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Let’s say that you’ve narrowed down your story project and have a good idea of what you want to do and why you want to do this story project, the next big question is what medium to do want to use to tell this story?

I’ll use my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor again as an example. I knew I wanted to do a story project about her and I had decided that I wanted to focus on her journey from England to Utah with the Martin Handcart company. I also knew that I wanted to do something that would be appealing to kids. I figured that if it was approachable for kids, adults would take time to learn about Mary Taylor too.

So looking at the 100 story projects post, and narrow it down. My first run through I deleted things that weren’t about her journey. That got me down to about 40 Then I deleted those that would not be very appealing to children. That took off about 20 more. Next I looked again at which ones would really tell the story of her journey and not just aspects of her experience and would appeal to kids ages 5 to 10. That got me down to the following list:

make a story book with illustration of Mary’s childhood and journey to Zion (did that – it is so close to being ready to publish)
make that story book into an ebook
make that story book into an enhanced ebook with sound etc.
make that story book into a video with narration and background music
make a coloring book about Mary’s life (I could probably adapt the illustrations from “My Grandma Mary” for this)
design surprise balls that tell a story about Mary Taylor
make puppets to act out stories from Mary Taylor’s life
make a video of the puppet show
put together a story box about Mary Taylor

Looking at this more focused short list you could do some more brainstorming and ask yourself are there some different media that I could use to expand this list. Here are some extra ideas that come to mind:

make an animated video using claymation or other media
make paper dolls for the characters in Mary’s story
instead of having an adult illustrate the book have a child or children draw the images after learning about Mary’s story

The first five could be grouped together, because in completing the first one (make a story book), much of the work is already done for the next three. It is sharing it and enhancing it in different ways. Using different media. In some ways the story box could be the final end of several story projects about Mary Taylor all with the goal in mind of creating a story box about her life and/or her journey to Utah in 1856. The box could contain the story book and/or ebook, video etc, a coloring book, puppets and a script or scripts to perform or a video, and a surprise ball as a kind of summary of Mary’s story and trinkets to remind the kids what they learned about their ancestor. That would be really cool.

I didn’t make this list when I started the story book about Mary’s journey, but if I had I would then need to choose which story project to do first. The story box would be out because it is more appropriate as a long-term goal. Someone with more experience with puppets and script writing might pick that as a first project. But since my experience is mainly with books I would probably still pick that as my first project. Even the color book idea is a natural extension of the story book. If I was more comfortable with video that could be the starter project and then the book would be taken from still of the video. There are lots of options and mediums. Which one or ones you choose depends on you, your talents, your interests and your resources. The story book project turned out to be perfect for me because my niece was on board to illustrate it.

Does this example help you to see how to take a long list that you have brainstormed and narrow it down. There is not one right answer for a story project. Follow your intuition and move forward. This can be a fun process so let it inspire you. Then keep that vision alive as you take the many steps to complete your story project.

I’ve been inspired by this brainstorming exercise, I hope you have too. Now it is time for you to do something similar for your next story project!

100 Story Project Ideas (tellingfamilytales.com)

100 Story Project Ideas

Posted on May 28, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

There are so many types of story projects. Let’s use one of my projects as an example. Many months ago I decided I wanted to learn more about my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor and share some of that with my family. This has lead to several story projects about her that I’ve already done and many more that I would like to do. I’m sure there are even more that I haven’t even thought of yet. Let’s see how many different story projects I can come up with about Mary Taylor:

go to Martin’s Cove for a hands on experience (did that)
make a video from our experience in Martin’s Cove
make a simple book to share with family about her life and her journey with the Martin handcart company (did that)
build a handcart replica
live for one day or even one meal on the rations that the Martin Handcart company had
reenact the journey of the Martin Handcart company from its start in Liverpool England to its arrival in the Salt Lake Valley
build a diorama of Coton-on-the-Elms
build a model of the ship Horizon
follow the journey of the Martin Handcart company day by day in 1856 (did that)
make a serial graphic novel based on the experiences of the hardcart pioneers
share it to coincide with Mary’s journey to Zion
travel to England the area that Mary grew up
write about my experiences and share it with my family
use google earth to take a virtual journey to Mary’s birthplace
use google earth to follow Mary’s journey with the Martin Handcart company
make it into a video to share with others
using google earth create a virtual scavenger hunt about Mary’s life and the places she has been
make a story book with illustration of Mary’s childhood and journey to Zion (did that – it is so close to being ready to publish)
make that story book into an ebook
make that story book into an enhanced ebook with sound etc.
make that story book into a video with narration and background music
using family members make a video about Mary Taylor
make a music video with Mary favorite song “The Handcart Song”
learn the Mary’s childhood song “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland” similar to “Old McDonald“
make an illustrated video of “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland”
make an illustrated children’s book inspired by “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland”
create a board game inspired by the handcart pioneers
learn and then teach how to play the game “Going to Zion”
learn to make simple toys from Mary’s time and share them with my family
make a video game inspired by the experiences of the handcart pioneers
Gather photos of all the known possessions of Mary Taylor and put them into a book form to share with family, including stories about each item
also share that book as an ebook
learn about cooking in the late 19th century in England and Utah
make how to videos to share what I learn
make a cookbook with recipes that Mary probably cooked
learn homemaking skills for the late 19th century
learn about dressmaking in the 1850s
learn about the French surge dress we have that Mary made
create a modern-day pattern for her dress
create craft and/or home decor ideas using Mary’s dress making skills
make a quilt about Mary’s Life
make a quilt about the Martin Handcart Company
make patterns for those quilts to share with others including the stories behind the blocks chosen
learn about the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when that Mary joined the church in England
watch “Seventeen Miracles” and/or other pioneer movies as a family
organize a Mary Taylor descendants reunion
compile all the descendants of Mary Taylor into a book
make a Facebook page for the descendants of Mary Taylor
design a charm necklace/key chain in honor of Mary Taylor
visit Mary’s grave site
visit all know locations that she lived
do a “decades” book about Mary’s life
do something everyday for one year to honor Mary
compile those experiences into a book
compile those experiences into a video
write a book about what Mary has taught me
design surprise balls that tell a story about Mary Taylor
create a memory jar in honor of Mary and/or my experiences learning about her
put together a story box about Mary Taylor
make a music cd inspire by Mary Taylor including “The Handcart Song”, “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland” and other songs from the late 19th century
make a shadow box about Mary Taylor (I’ve sort of done this with a tea-cup that was hers but there is much more that I could do)
make a coloring book about Mary’s life (I could probably adapt the illustration from “My Grandma Mary” for this)
give a gift basket inspired by Mary Taylor – include other story project like “My Grandma Mary” in the basket
make a memory wreath about Mary Taylor
make an old-fashioned Christmas wreath inspired by Mary Taylor with decoration from the late 19th century
make a doll house inspired by one of Mary Taylor’s homes
research the history of each of Mary’s last names: Taylor, Upton, Simmons and Robinson
put together a book about Mary’s names
find any coat of arms from Mary’s history or design a coat of arms inspired by her life
make t-shirts inspired by Mary Taylor
find and/or create maps about Mary Taylor’s life
make a calendar for the coming year with all the important dates in Mary Taylor’s life
celebrate Mary Taylor’s birthday
make a trivia game with facts about Mary Taylor and life in the late 19th century
make an audio record of stories about Mary Taylor – recruit family members to help with this project
make puppets to act out stories from Mary Taylor’s life
make a video of the puppet show
pick one of Mary’s home and research the history of that spot
make duplicates of the photo we have of Mary Taylor and make sure everyone in the family has a copy
create a collage about Mary Taylor
make a Christmas ornament with Mary Taylor’s photo
make or find Christmas ornaments like those common in Mary’s Life time
plan a Christmas meal similar to what Mary Taylor would have enjoyed
decorate your house and/or Christmas tree in the way in would have been done in the late 19th century
make flash cards about Mary Taylor’s life
make flash cards about the Willie and Martin Handcart companies
make a memory game inspired by Mary Taylor
gather family traditions from the late 19th century and choose a few to make a part of your traditions in honor of Mary Taylor
keep a record of your new family traditions so that future generations will know where they came from
set up a photo shoot inspired by the late 19th century and invite family members to get their photos taken
compile these photos into a book to share with everyone
make an advent calendar inspired by Mary Taylor and/or the late 19th century
make a puzzle with Mary Taylor’s picture or a collage or a set of puzzles from the illustrations in “My Grandma Mary” book
make a family tree that shows the connection between Mary Taylor and each family member
make a Christmas card inspire by Mary Taylor (did that)
make a time capsule with all the things we all the Mary Taylor story projects
write a song about Mary Taylor and what she means to me
make a family planner with facts about Mary Taylor and important dates in her life
make an infographic about Mary Taylor
have “Mary Taylor” come for dinner

Most of these idea could be applied to your ancestor and there are many more story project ideas that you could come up with. There is no shortage of ideas. The challenge is to choose one and make it happen. Remember to start with smaller simpler projects.

Did my list inspire you? If you don’t already have a story project you are working on, I challenge you to decide on one today.

Zodiac’s Book – getting started

Posted on April 10, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Title Page for Zodiac’s Book

As our time with Zodiac comes to a close, I’ve been wanted to get started on his puppyhood book. I have a template so many of the design decisions are already made. Beside speeding up the process of completing each book the template gives a continuity to the series. Today I picked a font (Hobo Std) and two accent colors (blueish green and yellow). The colors might get changed as the book comes together but they are a good start. I also picked out 19 “Z” words to describe Zodiac. Finding “Z” words was a challenge but I did it.

zaftig – full-bodied; well-proportioned
zany – comically wild or eccentric
zap – strike suddenly and forcefully
zax – a hatchetlike tool for roofing slate
zealous – ardently active, devoted, diligent
zeek out – (slang) to lose control of oneself
zenith – highest point or state, culmination
zephyr – thing of fine, light quality
zero hour – a decisive or critical time
zesty – energetic; active
Zeus – supreme deity of the ancient Greeks
zigzag – a course with sharp turns
zillion – an extremely large number
zingy – full of zing; lively; zesty; exciting
Zion – where the pure in heart dwell
zippy – full of energy; lively; peppy
zoic – relating to or having animal life
zonked – exhausted or asleep
zoom – to move quickly or suddenly

The next steps are to work on the text for each word and find and/or take more photos to help illustrate all the “Z” words. Zenith will be used to talk about Zodiac’s partnership, hopefully as a guide dog, so that one will have to wait. Also zero hour will be about putting him on the puppy truck so I can’t do that one either. But I hope to have the rest of the pages done by the time he returns to Guide Dogs for the Blind. Then I can put it on to a cd and it will be given to his handler while they are in training. It is lots of fun for them to learn about how their dog was growing up in the raisers home.

Zodiac will probably be in the truck in 8 to 10 weeks. With 19 words to do I better get at least two spreads done each week. So that is my goal. I’ll post them here on pupdate day to help me be accountable for that goal. Since I’ve already do so much this week, I work to getting one spread done for Friday.

Do you have a project with an upcoming deadline that you are working on? I’d love to hear about it.

Photo Birthday Card Book – preview

Posted on April 3, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Celebrating Nine Decades by Raelyn Webster | Make Your Own Book

I got the book done from my mom’s 90th birthday party today and uploaded it to blurb to order. After seeing the preview I might make a few tweaks before ordering. It came together pretty quickly. My biggest mistake was in not deciding what order to put the photos in before I started dropping them into the template. It took me a while to clean up the mess I made and start over. So I learned once again, that a little planning goes a long way.

It is kind of fun to take a project from idea to ready to print in just over a week. Not every project needs to be years or even months in process. Do you have a smaller project just waiting to become a reality? I challenge you to get started on it and see how quickly it really can come together.