Heirloom Stories

I love after Christmas shopping, don't you?  The bargains you find are not only fun, but economically attractive.  This year we ran across a recordable story book for less than $10.  Of course, that book came home with with us along with great ideas sprouting within my mind.


Last night my husband and I recorded our Christmas storybook in hopes that our grandchildren, and possibly their children, would be able to have a story read to them by their grandparents... even if we were no longer with them.  The joy of future possibilities was great, but we also enjoyed working on this project together, interacting, cooperating and creating.  It was a much welcomed and more meaningful memory than our usual television evening "face time". 

No matter how old you get,

it is important to spend time each day

interacting and communicating with each other!

 

This jogged  memories from when my kids were little and these type of wonderful books where not available.    We created a variation of this concept.  My husband and I would record our children's favorite story books onto cassette tapes.  Many nights were spent with Daddy reading to the boys (on cassette) as he traveled away from home on business.  Frequently, I "read" books to the boys as they turned the pages of their favorite book while I was engaged in some other task ( hands busy, but present).  These recorded stories were great for traveling and on days when a weary mom could not keep her eye lids open one more minute at the end of the day.

The boy's granny made multiple tapes with stories from her childhood and pieces of information. She especially liked to tell them tidbits and historical facts of history. The boys loved to listen to her tapes, especially when we moved out of state and personal visits were limited.  Her "electronic visits" helped span the miles and strengthen their relationship. 

As a family we used to make gift cassette tapes to entertain grandparents who lived far away.  We sang songs, left messages, put on "shows", told jokes etc. These were truly one of a kind gifts and are treasured now that the years have flown by.  Today, we can still hear conversations and the voice of grandparents, great grandparents and great-great grandparents.  The value of these tapes cannot be measured.

Now, I know some of you are probably wondering what a cassette tape is!  True, this is technology from the past.  But, since you are reading this on a computer, I will assume you have modern technology knowledge and availability. 

So, how can we bring this idea into the future, without the huge cost of recordable books?

Record yourself, a favorite relative or other adult reading stories, telling a make-believe story or acting out a story.  Children can follow along in the book or just watch and listen.

Try these methods:

Camcorder
I-phone
I-pad or tablet

Record on one of the above, then transfer it to the computer.  Convert to a file that can be watched whenever desired.  Copy the file onto a DVD or CD to be used in other places.

What other ideas can you think of? 

Hearing a loved one's voice is a powerful relationship connector. 

With the use of e-mail, texting and messaging we are losing the personal connection of seeing someone's face, watching their expressions and hearing the emotion and inflection in their voices. Don't forget to continue to make personal phone calls and/or Skype.  Of course,  personal visits are the best, but with families spread out across the nation and globe, technology is the next best thing.