We have recently started an interesting trial which helps with our core mission of getting younger generations interested in their Family history.

Besides being co-founder of Twile, I am a mum of three girls aged 4, 7 and 11 who have unwittingly been exposed to our ‘family history’ on Twile now for several years. When asked, my children would say family history is not something that would interest them. However, they sit for some time scrolling through our Twile timeline asking questions about stories from the past such as my wedding day and their christening celebrations. They ask about our family in both Ireland and South America and are puzzled by how Grandma and Grandad met when they were born so far apart! They love looking at photos of their grandparents as children and laugh hysterically at their fashion sense!  I would say that they have a good sense of belonging and an appreciation of the wider world after seeing how our family came to be.

I struck up a conversation with one of their teachers, who was hugely supportive and loved the idea of teaching children a bit about their family in school. As well as providing a sense of belonging and some emotional support for the children, the opportunity to learn more about their family story and build a family tree in something new and innovative appealed. Together with the teacher, we began to put together a 7 week  project for Key Stage 2 children at Old Town School, in my home town of Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

It turns out that Twile fits in to the UK curriculum in many ways, covering PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Emotional), History and ICT. I was delighted to be invited to help with the project that will take place once a week for the rest of term. My 7 year old daughter Arabella, is loving having mummy in class too!

It’s wonderful to see my local community supporting and welcoming innovation. It will also be a great opportunity for me to see how the children interact with Twile…and i’m sure that they will give me some (very honest) feedback!

I will be posting regular updates on my time at the school and I am really excited to see the reaction from the children.

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