GRAND Magazine - August 2009 - 35

One of the kids’ favorite explorations was food: from corned beef and cabbage to chitlins and collard greens kids’ favorite explorations was food: from corned beef and cabbage to chitlins and collard greens . We celebrated our ancestors’ music. Both sets of grandparents still possessed their old LPs, which they were eager to dust off and share with Cayla and Conner. One night we’d listen to old jazz and blues ; on another, we’d relish a Brahms concerto . Conner’s and Cayla’s grandparents began celebrating Kwanzaa  and St. Patrick’s Day  with the children, including traditional meals and attending community events. And the children—with a lot of construction paper—put together both sides of the family tree. On another occasion, my mother took the kids to a thrift shop, where they gathered “traditional looking” clothes and modeled them. Now our children aren’t wary spectators at family reunions—they’re part of the family, talking with great-great-aunts and uncles about adventurous people and momentous events in the family’s past. And sweet potatoes do make a darn good pie . G Grandfather Tom Gray with, from left, Conner, Chandler, and Cayla. them also allowed her to share herself and help bridge the generation gap. My children began to look forward to going to Grandma’s to browse through cherished photo albums and scrapbooks and hear stories of the amazing lives of distant relatives. One day, Cayla came home and announced, “Today Grandma told us the story of how Great-Great Grandfather Eb found his wife!” While Mae shared the African American culture with my children, I worked with my parents to provide insight into our family’s own diverse background (I’m a Euromix of German, Irish, Dutch and English). On one family vacation to Ohio we began digging through the roots of our family tree. (Some popular free Web sites to help start the research process are RootsWeb , DistantCousin , and USGenWeb . Magazines include Family Chronicle , Family Tree Magazine , and Ancestry Magazine .) Once our children had a greater understanding of who they are and the cultures they are a part of, we had fun experiencing different aspects of our heritages. One of the Chandler, Conner and Cayla GrayWilburn with their grandmother, Mae Wilburn. Click and connect to more resources instantly where you see this symbol:  AUGUST 2009 GRAND 35

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/CollardGreens.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hEYwk0bypY&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkIULqYxiPU http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml http://familyfun.go.com/stpatricks/ http://southernfood.about.com/od/sweetpotatodess/r/bl1109d.htm http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com http://distantcousin.com http://usgenweb.org/ http://www.familychronicle.com http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ http://www.ancestrymagazine.com/

GRAND Magazine - August 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - August 2009