Family tree

Something a lot of kids find fascinating is where they came from. Where their parents and grandparents came from and how they all fit into the family. Forget the paper family tree idea and make this real version of the family tree.

What you need:

• rubber band
• sticks/ twigs
• coloured wool
• a pot: this could be a recycled container (i.e. a large milk container or juice bottle cut in half, or a box), an actual pot (from the garden), or a tall cup/ bowel/ jar from a cheap store.
• tape
• rocks/ weights (could include rice or lentils)
• a small drawing or photograph of you, each of your siblings, each of your parents, your mother's parents (your grandparents), and your father's parents (your other grandparents). Label each drawing/ photograph with each person's name.
• scissors
• a paperclip for each of the family tree identities

Number of players:
1+

Activity:

Collect sticks/ twigs: one for each member of the family tree.

Your family tree list of people may include:

• yourself
• siblings
• mother
• father
• mother’s parents
• father’s parents

Select your sticks carefully – they should be long and they can have small branch extensions or even some leaves.

Put a rubber band around the sticks.

Arrange so that there are two branches that are the tallest (these will be for your grandparents), the next two tallest branches will be for each of your parents, and the next few branches will be for your siblings.

The trunk will represent you.

It doesn’t matter if the base is uneven because you will be “planting” the family tree in a pot.

Fasten the bundle with coloured wool by wrapping it around the lower part of the bundle.

You can choose to wrap it tightly or loosely depending on what kind of tree shape you’d like to create.

Experiment wrapping tightly and loosely before you fasten the wool in place with some tape or a knot.

Fill the pot with rocks or weights.

Bury the tree's base in the pot.

Add more weights until it is stable and firmly in place.

Attach a paperclip to each of the labelled images.

Tie about 10cm of wool to each of these attached paperclips and fasten with a knot.

Tie your labelled image to the trunk.

Tie each of your siblings' images to the lowest branches (sticks).

Tie each of your parent's images to the next two tallest branches.

Finally tie each separate pair of grandparents to the tallest branches.

Notes:

• Include taller branches for your great grandparents (your mother and father's grandparents).
• Ingredient quantity requirements may vary due to the amount of members included from your family.