Family History Month was officially declared a holiday in 2001, although many people still aren’t aware of this event. There are fun ways to celebrate Family History Month. Here are a few ideas that you can use to bring every family member into the process of finding out more about your family’s history.

Some people love nothing more than to dig into the roots of their family tree. They like to spend time searching for long-lost relatives or finding out that their great-grandfather was once a member of the circus. There are so many things that you can learn about your family, and yourself, by finding out about the people that came before you.

One thing you can do is plan a trip to your family’s old home place if it is still around. If someone else is now living in the home and you know who they are, you may want to give them a call to see if it would be alright if you stop by. Visit the cemetery where most family members are buried. You may want to take some paper and crayons so you can make rubbings of their gravestones.

See if there are any genealogy classes nearby. If there are, sign up and take one. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to find out how to locate information about your family. There usually isn’t a cost associated with genealogy classes but if there are the cost will be minimal. If there aren’t any classes near you, check online to find out how to conduct genealogical research including the forms that you’ll need to document what you find.

Are there older family members who may have family stories to share? Take advantage of the time you have by interviewing them. Ask them about funny things that happened and have been passed down. Use a video camera or audio recorder to capture these interviews and then transcribe them to keep as a backup.

Spend some time going through old family albums. You may find there are photos of people you don’t know or recognize. Ask who people are in the older photos. Take notes so the names aren’t lost to history. See what your family can remember from the day the photo was taken.

Gather recipes and create a heritage cookbook. Are there certain recipes that everyone asks certain family members to fix during family reunions or gatherings? Ask people in the family to share their favorite recipes, a story to go along with the recipe, and how it was passed down. They could also send a copy of a photo for the person who originated the recipe. All of this could be made into a cookbook that can be shared with the whole family and will be a greatly appreciated keepsake.

These are just a few ideas of fun ways to celebrate Family History Month. If you think about it, you can probably think of others. Put your heads together and come up with some great ways you can honor your family during the month of October.