Conversation and a Cuppa Challenge

Hello superstar story-finders. Are you ready to be an explorer of family history, a discoverer of untold tales?

Here’s our next Family Challenge. It’s time to get curious – what have you always wanted to know about your family member(s), but never had the time to ask?

Conversation and a Cuppa Challenge

1. Sit down with your family member (Mum / Dad / Carers / Godmother / Aunty / Grandparents / older sibling.
2. Make a cup of tea, get comfy. It’s time to find out about your own personal history!
3. Ask them to think about when they first lived in their town, village, or house. Give them a few moments to reflect.
4. Ask them questions about their life!

For example:

• “What did my Grandma do?”
• “What was it like living in Bideford instead of France?”
• “How have you seen the town change in your lifetime?”

5. Find a way to record their answers.

For example, you could:

• Record them on your phone
• Write down what they say.

6. Share a photo or a video of your challenge with us, by posting on our Facebook page @tellingourstoriesdevon or emailing it to us at dde@globalcentredevon.org.uk.

Things to remember

When thinking about questions, remember to do these things:

• Balance fact (what actually happened) with feeling (what were their feelings about it).For example: ‘When did you move here?’ [fact] but also ‘How did you feel about having to move here?’ [feeling].
• Move chronologically (in time order). Start at the beginning (in the past), and move forward (to now).
• Let them do the talking! A good interviewer is someone who listens more than they talk.
• Ask ‘open questions’: “What was that like?” ; “Can you tell me about…?”
• Ask them to use their 5 senses: “What do you remember seeing; hearing; tasting; smelling; touching/feeling?”