Family History Club

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FamNet in Schools - an Innovative New Program for Family History

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​Knowing where we've come from - our family background - is important to us all, so students do family history projects from primary to secondary school. Today's students are computer-literate and Internet-savvy: they will turn to the Internet to research their ancestors and use computers to tell their family story.

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About a year ago Chelsea Primary was approached by Robert Barnes, the grandfather of two of our pupils and developer of FamNet, a family history web system that makes it easy to research, record, and share family history, and put it into the context of world and New Zealand history. From the second term we have been running "FamNet in Schools" a lunchtime club, becoming the pilot for this experimental program.

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Results have been excellent. Our experience shows that using FamNet helps to make family history more fun, and makes it easier to involve the pupil's extended family. The children involved are so enthusiastic. One boy "found some family notes in a box" and has created a family tree back to his 4th great-grandparents. Another has completed a tree with pictures of all of his grandparents and most of his great-grandparents. Some are starting to gather stories from their grandparents. Of course this is a family activity, and those doing best have parents and grandparents who are keen to join in and impart their knowledge, and discover more about their family. A couple of children are developing shared trees using FamNet's permissions management (i.e. a Family Group) to allow other family members to contribute directly to building the tree: in one case a grandparent living in the U.K. is working with the pupil here in New Zealand. Another pupil has a grandparent in the South Island who is "Spending two hours a day researching the tree for me" (we told the pupil that he was demonstrating excellent management skills, getting others to work for him).

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At each club meeting we spend part of the time with a story: we ask one of the pupils to show us their tree and tell us about an ancestor. We also asked the group to identify when and how their ancestors came to New Zealand thinking that this might require a bit of research: Phillip held up his hand. "January" he said. He's the one with the grandfather in the U.K. helping with his tree.

 

After one term the pupils have reached the easy limits - information that they can find out by talking to their parents and grandparents. A few keen ones (probably keen families) are continuing to find out about earlier ancestors by looking up web sites and other repositories, but for most they have now "Finished their family history", and the club meets less frequently.  Some have created a data resource that may be relevant as they continue through school, sometimes giving them a personal interest in the history that they learn.

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Sponsorship is being sought to enlarge and extend the program, but whether FamNet is sponsored further or not, "FamNet in Schools" program is free to schools.

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For further information about this program you should visit the web site www.famnet.net.nz <http://www.famnet.net.nz/>  and see the brief video, and click the link at the left "FamNet <http://www.famnet.net.nz/Help/FamNet_in_Schools_-_Notes_for_Group_Leaders.htm>  in Schools" to learn more about this program.​

 

If you are keen to join the club, please get in touch with Robert Barnes, Clare James or Jenny Henderson or pop in the library on a Thursday, check them out and enjoy the program.