My 15 year old dd has to interview an elderly person for a school project. (She's not sure who she is going to choose yet).

I know you ladies are great at this...any suggestions for interesting/creative questions she could ask?

Thanks!!

By Yjja123 on Friday, May 4, 2007 - 12:15 pm:

Me Me Me
My kids write their grandparents weekly and ask questions. We put the letters in a book so someday they can look back and really learn about them ---when it will be too late to ask the questions .
Here are a few:
Can you describe the house in which you lived when you were a child?
Do you remember the room in which you slept as a child?
Can you describe the houses in your neighborhood?
Where was your favorite place to visit when you were a child?
Where did you go to school? What was in the classrooms?
Where did you go to worship?
Where did you go to shop for food or clothes?
Where did you go for fun and recreation?
Where did you go when you wanted to hide?
Did your family ever move?
Describe the house you lived in when you were first married.
What kind of utensils did you have in the kitchen?
Immigration:
When did the first family member come to America? Where did they come from? How did they get here? Are any family members still abroad?
Courtship:
How did you meet your spouse? How long did you know each other before you were married? Can you describe your wedding?
Work:
How did you earn a living when you were young? What was your first job?
Holidays:
What were your favorite holidays? Did you have special holiday customs or foods?
Vacations:
Did you ever go on a vacation? Where? Who went with you? What did you do for fun?
Births:
Can you describe the birth of your son or daughter? Where were you? Who was there? How did you choose his or her name?
Daily Life:
How did you travel from place to place? Did your family have a car? What were your favorite pastimes? How did your children behave?

By Annie2 on Friday, May 4, 2007 - 12:41 pm:

Yvonne, these are fantastic questions! Thank you!

By Yjja123 on Friday, May 4, 2007 - 01:08 pm:

A few more...
What type of house did you live in as a child?
What other buildings were on the same property?
Did you have a yard? A fence? A swing? Flowers? Trees? A lawn?
As a child, did you have a room of your own, or did you share it with someone else? If so, whom?
In what room did you eat? Kitchen? Dining room?
Where did you eat when there was company?
Did your house have a parlor? Was the family allowed to use it?
How was your home heated? Was it warm in winter? Explain.
Did you have a fireplace?
What kind of kitchen stove did your parents cook on?
Did you burn wood? Coal?
Did you have to buy the fuel or was there a choice, such as cutting wood, with which you had to help?
Where did your family get water? Was it plentiful? What methods were used to conserve water?
Did your family always have a refrigerator? If not, what did you use instead? When did you get a refrigerator?
Did your family have a cellar? Where did you store apples, potatoes? Canned foods?
Did you always have indoor plumbing? If not, when did you get it?
Did you always have electricity? If not, when did you get it?
Did you ever use candles or kerosene lamps? Whose job was it to fill the lamps and replace the wicks?

By Cocoabutter on Friday, May 4, 2007 - 01:16 pm:

I am more interested in values, since obviously they have changed with the times. Someone who lived through the Depression, for instance, would have a lot to offer. So a question that I might ask would be, "What are some important lessons you have learned in your life that you would like to pass on to today's youth?" or "What are some of the ways society today is different from when you were young?"