Family Tree Craft

What You Need:

• Construction paper
• Markers
• Hole punch
• String
• Telephone and/or Internet access

What You Do:

1. Encourage your child to research the mothers in your family by calling them up, writing them an e-mail, or interviewing them in person. Have her ask questions about what motherhood is like, what's great about their family, etc. Find out about their experiences and what makes each one special! Make sure she takes notes so she remembers what each mother said.
2. For each person your child learns about, cut out one leaf from a sheet of construction paper. The leaf can be any shape, but it must be at least the size of a hand, so that it's large enough to write on.
3. For each mother’s experience, help her analyze the findings and sum up the experience of each individual in a few sentences.
4. Next, invite her to take a leaf and write the name of one of the mothers on it, followed by the sentences that sum up their “mothering” experience. She should repeat this process for each mother she interviewed.
5. Have her use the hole punch to create a hole in each leaf.
6. Now, ask her to cut out lengths of string (at least 6 inches) and tie loops through the leaves so that they can easily be hung from the branch of a tree.
7. Finally, help her take all of the leaves outside and use them to decorate a small tree in your yard. Now it's time to stand back and admire what you've both created!