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Ben’s
book entitled, Your Grandma Wore Army Boots ... and other
interesting things you can find out if you just ask, is a
guide for kids about how to collect oral histories and why
they are important. Senior citizens are a rich resource, as
they have lived through many important events in their lives
that need to be recorded and preserved. Most people Ben has
interviewed have found it delightful and helpful, because
the exercise jogs their memory and helps them recall important
events in their lives. Kids doing the interviews also
benefit, as their interviewees can help them grow closer to people
of a different generation, whether it be a relative or someone
they have just met. Ben’s book also explains how to
conduct a successful interview, and the interview guide he
typically uses is appended to the end of the book.
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Ben was awarded the Amazing
Kids! of the Month Award by the AMAZING KIDS! website in November
of 2003
Highlighted by The Disney
Channel in Check This Kid Out segment. |
| At 12, Ben used to pass the same
elderly man named Donald
each day while walking his dog in the park. Ben began
talking
with Donald, and realized that he and this octogenarian
had the
same passion for history. This fascinated Ben, because
events
that he loved reading about such as the Great Depression
were
things that Donald had lived through and could speak
on from a
first-person perspective. From these humble beginnings,
Ben has
gone on to collect oral histories from over 100 people,
mostly
patrons at his local senior center. He has realized
how important
oral histories are, and decided to write a book for
kids on the
subject. |
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