http://genealogy.about.com/cs/holidays/a/family_history_p.htm Genealogy 10 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month Projects to Celebrate Your Family Heritage For the third year in a row, the U.S. Senate has unanimously approved legislation to designate October as "Family History Month." This is a huge day for the more than 80 million Americans who are believed to be actively searching for more information about their ancestors. "Millions of Americans are researching the history of their families," said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, the Utah Republican who introduced the Family History Month resolution. "Experts say that in the United States, genealogy is now the second most popular hobby next to gardening." This explosion of interest in family history is due, in part, to the advent of the Internet. It is estimated that more than two million separate Web sites are devoted to genealogy. Have you joined the craze? Celebrate Family History Month with your family with these ten wonderful ways to craft and commemorate your past: 1.. Get Started Tracing Your Family Tree If you have been curious about your family tree but just weren't sure where to start then you don't have any more excuses. Here is a great collection of resources and simple advice on how to get started researching your family tree both on and off the Internet. One Stop Beginner's Guide to Genealogy Free Family Tree Charts 2.. Create a Family Cookbook A perfect recipe for family history, a cookbook of collected heirloom recipes is a wonderful way to preserve memories of favorite meals shared with family. Contact your parents, grandparents, and other relatives and ask them to send you a few of their favorite family recipes. Have them include a story about each dish, where or who it was handed down from, why it is a family favorite, and when it was traditionally eaten (Christmas, family reunions, etc.). Whether you create a full-blown family cookbook, or just make copies for family and friends - this is a gift that will be cherished forever. Make a Family Recipe Book 3.. Record Family Stories Every family has its own history - the events, personalities, and traditions that make the family unique - and collecting these singular stories and memories is one of the most meaningful ways you and your family can honor your older relatives and preserve family traditions. Recording family stories on audiotape, videotape, or in legacy journals, brings family members closer together, bridges generation gaps, and ensures that your family stories will be preserved for future generations. Fifty Questions for Family Interviews Legacy Journals for Collecting & Preserving Family Memories 4.. Uncover Your Family Health History Also known as medical genealogy, tracing your family health history is a fun, and potentially lifesaving, project. Experts state that about 3000 of the 10,000 known diseases have genetic links, and that many diseases "run in families," including colon cancer, heart disease, alcoholism, and high blood pressure. Creating a family health history can be a useful tool to aid you and your medical care provider in interpreting patterns of health, illness and genetic traits for you and your descendants. What you learn now could potentially save a family member's life tomorrow. How to Trace Your Family Health History 5.. Scrapbook Your Family History The perfect place to showcase and protect your precious family photos, heirlooms, and memories, a heritage scrapbook album is wonderful way to document your family's history and create a lasting gift for future generations. While it may seem a daunting task when faced with boxes of dusty old photos, scrapbooking is actually both fun and more easy than you might think! How to Create a Heritage Scrapbook Scrapbooking Your Child's Artwork Next Page > Five More Projects for Family History Month 6. Take A Trip Back in Time Grab a map, and hop in the car for a family adventure! A fun way to celebrate your family history is to visit sites of importance to your family - the old family homestead, the house where you were born, the country from which your ancestors migrated, the hillside where you played as a child, or the cemetery where great-grandpa is buried. If none of these locations is near to your home, then consider a trip to a historical museum, battlefield, or re-enactment event that relates to the history of your family. Time Travel - Living History 7. Play Detective Most children will learn to appreciate their family history if you turn it into a detective game. Start your children or grandchildren on a lifelong journey of discovery by introducing them to genealogy. Here are some wonderful projects to do with your children this month including games, family history and heritage projects and online lessons. Teach Your Children to Be Ancestor Detectors 8. Craft a Heritage Gift From picture frame Christmas ornaments to heritage quilts, your family history makes a great gift! Homemade gifts are often inexpensive but are favorites with the recipients, and making them is often more fun than giving them! Create a Family Tree Sweatshirt Make a Family History Wreath Creating a Heritage or Memory Quilt Creative Holiday Gift Giving for Genealogists 9. A Year of Family Pictures Family photo calendars make wonderful gifts are easy and inexpensive to create using your computer. Many genealogy software and other software programs can help you create the perfect calendar, you can create one yourself with templates and ideas from the Web, or your local copy shop can put together a personalized calendar for you. You can make it a current family calendar to help far-flung family keep in touch with family photos, birthdays and anniversaries. Or you can create a calendar that commemorates your ancestors with old photos and your ancestor's birthdays, marriage dates, etc. Either way, have fun and be creative! Calendar Design Software for Windows Calendar Project Ideas 10. Start a Family Web Site If your extended family, like mine, relies on email to stay in touch, then a family Web site may be for you. A digital scrapbook and meeting spot, a family Web site allows you and your kids to share family photos, favorite recipes, funny stories, and even your family tree research. If you or someone in your family is a Web designer, by all means go to town. If you're more of a beginner, however, don't worry - there are plenty of free online services that make creating a family Web site a snap! Creating a Genealogy Web Page How to Create a Family Web Site No matter how busy you are, make some time this month to enjoy your family and heritage!