The Genealogy Kids visit the new FHL Discovery Center

Wow!  FamilySearch, NICE JOB.  The new 1st floor of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City is BEAUTIFUL.  We took the whole family up for a preview last week, and it passed our fun test.  All ages of our family members had a great time.

The "dress up like your ancestor" game is phenomenally entertaining...

The ability to explore what life was like for your ancestors was very visual and engaging.  This room really helps you to put yourself in their shoes.  (Plus, we loved seeing our fan chart blown up on the wall on a giant screen.)

The kids didn't want to leave because they were having so much fun recording stories in a real recording studio!

And the green screen is a party ...

All the decor is lovely, and there's plenty of room (we were very grateful to get a preview tour before the grand opening, but it will be exciting to see how many people get to enjoy this beautiful new renovation during the RootsTech conference next week.)

And here's the best part (drumroll, please) .... they have a corner for the little tikes!!!  Toys, puzzles, and FamilySearch coloring pages are tucked into a nice space for the little ones.  It's nestled behind a row of computers so mom can keep an eye on the little guys while she explores her family tree.  Seriously, this is fantastic.  Finally, the family history library is for FAMILIES.

Tip: before you take your kids to the library, make sure those who are old enough to sign up for a FamilySearch account have done so (they must be 8).  That way they can easily login when they arrive at the Discovery Center and carry around their own personal tablet to access the exhibits.

Have you tried the Little Family Tree app?

Hey kids! Hey parents! Hey grandparents! You've got to play with this app!!

Kids of all ages have been playing Little Family Tree at our house for the past few months, and we highly recommend it!

Little Family Tree uses the information and "Memories" in FamilySearch's Tree to create games that are all about YOU and your ancestors. ("Memories" include photos, and for this game it's important to make sure you have at least one photo in FamilySearch for each of the children and ancestors who you hope to see in the app.) Upon opening the app, kids can easily tell the app "who is playing today."

The app (free and paid versions) include a variety of games. The 2-year old loves the uncover-a-picture game. All he has to do is rub his chubby little finger all over the screen and he reveals pictures of his family.

There's a matching game, musical game, watercolor painting game (that one's pretty awesome), and more. It's all included in the "home" screen (which is actually a cute house:

This app is not just for the little guys. My teenagers are completely entertained by it.

The Little Family Tree app was created by the very talented Finlay family, who I've been privileged to meet at local genealogy conferences. Check out their booth in the Expo Hall at RootsTech in a few weeks. (Woohoo! RootsTech is just a few weeks away! For more RootsTech information, click HERE.)