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Re: What do you tell a 9-year old?



I have a nine year old too & I've done the "career day" circuit.  

When it comes to kids at this age level, I suggest keeping it very simple, i.e. one idea at a time.  Most kids at that age have a tough time sitting still to listen to anything.  The real challenge is to keep their attention.  

I brought in a couple of archival storage boxes with my own family genealogical stuff to show.  I was thinking that the next time I have to do this, I could bring a sampling of replica historical records in a variety of media.  For example some replica parchment, modern paper records, maps, replica old photos, maybe a leather bound book or ledger, video tapes, old 5.25 in floppies, etc. in the appropriate archival containers.  The kids could put on cotton gloves and learn about handling the materials.  Having some materials present for them to hold would be fun for that age level and keep them engaged.  In the meantime they are learning about handling materials and that archival records come in a variety of formats.

One key thing, I think: as someone who is relatively new to this field (and my second career), I have become conscious of how obscure our profession is to most people.  And, as you know, our culture sorely lacks an appreciation for the value and importance of historical records.  Our state has adopted an educational curriculum that requires local history being taught in the 4th, 7th, & 11th grades.  However, this doesn't mean that teachers are discussing or using primary records as they teach.  Consequently, our children are not learning about "archives."

This might sound a bit idealistic but when I speak to my kids' classmates, my objective is to try to "plant the seed" at the developmentally appropriate level.   With my 6 year old's class I figure that if I can just expose them to the word "archives' and what it is, I've been successful.  With my 9 year old, I took this up a notch and tried to leave them with not only what an "archives" is but why having them is important.

Hope this helps you.  Good luck!

Rich Sloma

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