Inspiring Reunion Planning Activities and Resources

It's Annual Family Reunion Planning Month. Time to start planning your 2023 reunion event. 

And with that comes the need for some good old fashion planning inspiration. 

No worries. When you plan a family reunion, the resources available online are literally endless. And that means, when it comes to finding great family reunion themes, venues and activity ideas, the sky's the limit.

But weeding through all the tools, resources, and websites can be a bit exasperating. This article should help you steer your ship to positivity.

A good place to start is focusing on what your family needs and wants most. Here are a few things to consider. 

1. Address recent loss; Include in your program words of encouragement and an "in memory of" segment. 

2. Inspire the next generation to take leadership; Include a passing on the heirloom program. Also an award ceremony as well as acknowledgments to those in the family who are busy at empowering the family to reach spiritual, educational, and economic goals.

3. Celebrating the past; Include family history activities such as storytelling and documentaries.

4. Recognizing Genealogy; Include a genealogy reveal activity that could include presenting family trees, DNA reports and related cultural festivities.

Once you determine the need, simply focus on specific activities that are need appropriate.  We put together a great resource to help you plan, organize and manage your reunion event. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_reunion

https://www.family-reunion-planner.fimark.net

http://pinterest.com/fimarkhome

Add a spritz of fun, and a splash of creativity. With a little resource inspiration, you're on your way to planning a meaningful and memorable family reunion event. 

The Walk To Remember

Walking is one of the healthiest activities you can take up. Especially outdoor walking while taking deep breaths of fresh air and basking in the sunlight. Vitamin D from the sun does amazing things for the brain, body, and overall state-of-mind. Feeling down? Take a walk. Need to loosen up and think. Take a walk. While you're at it, get the whole family to join you. Make it something special. Something more than just a family stroll. The fact is every family should experience at least one walk to remember in their lifetime. This is not just any walk. It's a walk through the lives of one, two, or more generations of the family. It's called, The Walk of Your Life. 

The Walk of Your Life is about telling a story rich with details you can see, hear, touch and feel. Each story consists of a walk through a town, city, state or country with a map in hand While visiting specific locations marked on the map a written story is told about family members activity on location while walking from one spot to the other.

Too better understand the impact of such a walk I recommend following a family on such a journey. The movie is entitled "We bought a Zoo". A true story about a family that had a dire need to connect, so they did something rather odd. They bought a zoo. Learning to work together they found a way to mend their lives and recover by trying to find their place in this new life of their own choosing. Finally, the children of this young family are brought full circle as they walk through a restaurant and hear a touching story of how their father and mother met and fell in love. 

Guided Tour

The Walk of Your Life gives kids a fresh opportunity to connect or reconnect with family in a way they may never have imagined. It's an opportunity to merge the present with the past and explain how the relationship of their parents or grandparents came to be. It helps them draw closer to their family while hearing their story brought to life in a way they never before experienced.  It's like opening a book rich with family history, self-discovery, nostalgia, and felicity. 

The Walk of Your Life may be in the form of a guided tour of the places in town that touched the lives of the family in very special ways. Perhaps a walk that follows the weekly routine of the grandparents and parents in the family. 

Map The Course

Draw a map of all the spots you or your parents frequented. Next, locate the schools they attended. The one spot they met. Now locate fond places they liked to frequent and things they did while there. 

Draw lines connecting each spot together progressively as the relationship advances from acquaintance to friendship to companionship to partnership and commitment.

Tell The Story

Tell a story about a specific experience that occurred then and there. Stories that help define that moment in time. Recreate the atmosphere, sounds, smells, activities, feelings and nostalgia of the times spent there. Talk about how the relationship grew stronger, how and why feeling ran deeper and ascended to new levels.

On Location

Enter the store, parlor or office. Explain what took place there and how that experience defined the course their lives.  Perhaps it was a bookstore or mom and pop shop with the best pizza in town sizzling in the oven. Freshly baked sweet cakes and cookies that melt in your mouth.  A table in the corner of a diner where mom was asked out on the first date. A photo booth where dad and mom took their first silly photo together. A water fountain where mom and dad sat, talked and fell in love. The place they were wed. The first apartment they lived in. The window of a room in the house in which the children were conceived and so on. 

The Walk of Your Life can conclude with dinner at a family restaurant that may one day be a part of the map the kids will make when they take their children on the walk of their lives.

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Planning a family reunion?  Fimark's Family Reunion Planner. Everything you need to plan a wonderful family reunion.

The Gift Called Family

Having someone to love is what we call family. Living with those we love is what we call home. Working hard with those we love and seeing good for what we accomplish together is both a gift and a blessing.

If you feel blessed in this way you have found the secret of happiness. Now all that is needed is to preserve and protect it. The key to doing that is housed in family principles and age-old family traditions. 

Fun Family Activities

Walk places together.
Stretch out on the lawn, patio or rooftop and watch the stars.
Fish or bird watch together.
Build a doll house.
Build a tree house.
Make a tent on the bed.
Tell stories about your ancestral heritage.
Cook and bake by recipe together.
Have a family talent show.
Schedule family game night.

Plan to do something with family members each and every day, even if it's just for a few minutes. It will make all the difference in the world.

Plan a family reunion and enjoy planning the exciting planning activities during the winter months leading to the big event. Start planning with the Fimark's Family Reunion Planner.

Labor Day Weekend Activities For Kids.

It's Labor Day weekend, and whether you have kids sleeping over or not  you're trying to figure out what to do with a house full of kids high on adrenalin that won't leave you exhausted or break the bank. 

As they wind down children tend to be accident prone, irritable and less attentive to the needs of others. The key to enjoying the weekend is giving them something fun to do that is both intellectually and emotionally stimulating leaving each child with a sense of wonder, discovery and accomplishment.  What might that be? Read the following articles for great weekend activity ideas.

http://familyreunionplanners.blogspot.com/2014/08/best-family-reunion-activity-for-kids-3.html

http://familyreunionplanners.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-to-blow-gazillion-gigantic-bubbles.html

http://familyreunionplanners.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html

Tips For Planning A July Family Reunion

Planning a family reunion in July? You still have time to pull it off. Here are some simple steps to get that event planned, organized, off and running.

First off, avoid being the sole reunion planner. I suggest your start forming a family reunion committee of three or more members. Consider those who you are particularly fond of and are almost certain will attend the event. 

Reunion Committee Qualifications

Elect those who have some experience throwing parties, have successfully planned several events, are computer literate and enjoy all things arts and crafts. 

Board of Advisers

A family member who has spent some time as a travel agent or tour guide along the east coast would also be most helpful as a travel adviser.  Since most of your family don't have children and are at or coming close to retirement age a few should have some time on they're hands. The more help the better. 

Regarding Invitations: How your invitations look is not nearly as important as the content. People need to know what they can look forward to at the event. Who will be attending. The activities and entertainment featured. Using a survey find out what the majority enjoy doing. Consider their interests, talents, skills and education. 

Popular Reunion Activities: Most families a thrilled when when one of the activities involves a talent show. Others would love putting their arts and crafts creations display. Avid book readers would love to meet published authors in the family. Music lovers would enjoy poetry and piano recitals. Food lovers would enjoy Emeral style cooking and wine tasting demonstrations complete with jokes and live band. Some stand-up comedy in good taste is a great crowd pleaser. 

In Review

1. Form a family reunion planning committee of talented event planning enthusiasts.

2. Send out an initial survey regarding themes, venue locations and activities.

3. Consult your East Coast travel advisers for the best venues.

4. Collect survey results and vote on theme, activities and location.

5. Rally support and spur enthusiasm by promoting popular entertaining reunion activities everyone will enjoy.

6. Hold online talent hunt contests using Youtube, Skype or Google Hangouts.

7. Send invitations via email. Most folks have one. Send the rest via post mail.

If you're looking for more ideas, templates and worksheets for surveys, committee meetings, to create your family tree, printable invitations and family reunion keepsake booklet designer consult Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social web app at www.fimark.net. 

Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social web app

Happy Family Reunion Planning.

Need Help Planning Your Reunion?

If you're planning to have your family reunion in June, July or August you need to complete all tasks yesterday. Need help completing tasks for your family reunion? Stay calm. Just drop me a line at fimarkhome@gmail.com and I'll show you how to get your event up and running in no time at all.

A great way to start planning the event is using an event planning web app. But not just any app. Some apps are just fancy checklists with a few bells and whistles.  Event planning involves cost estimation, timely and effective communication, access to vendors and familiarity with event task assignments. That said, you need tools essential to performing budget cost calculations, following an event planning calendar timeline and creating a contact database. 

Tools that help you decide on event theme, slogan and associated activities are essential. Tools that help you rally the masses and send out essential event details cannot be underestimated. Enter Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social web app. A reunion planning tool that's been continually refined since 2005.

As a family reunion planner you'll be running committee reports, printing and emailing worksheets for committee meetings as well as reviewing a task check off list. Tasks include surveying possible locations for the event, booking hotel accommodations, creating a dinner reception program, and reception floor planning. Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social web app helps you do all that and so much more.

Many reunion planners don't realize that Fimark's Family Reunion Planner package comes in three different formats to suite your planning preferences. 

1. The Online application for Google Plus and Facebook users.

2. A spreadsheet formatted planner with attendee contact database, t-shirt order and survey report compiler.

3. The 132 page eBook workbook.

The book includes the timeline planner that allows you to find out what task you should complete month to month. That means family reunion help is now online. Get started planning your reunion today.

Today Fimark is featuring a family reunion planning package that includes the popular Family Reunion Planner software program download with the Family Reunion Planner Guide Workbook and Keepsake eBook. And it's all for just $39. You save a whopping $10!

Even better, you don't have to wait for anything to come in the mail to get started. You order and the web app link is sent to you via email. Is that a great deal or what? This special summer fest reunion planning offer will not last long. Get Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social web app via link on this blog.

Winter Break Activity Ideas

Looking for something to do with the family during winter break? Here are some fresh activity ideas you're bound to enjoy.

Head For The Hills

Discover a winter wonderland right outside your back door. Take the camera and shoot video of local reindeer, snow flake and frost designs and snow bunnies. Find out what birds stick around in winter. Make a snow angel or play Tic-Tac-Toe (or Noughts and crosses, Xs and Os) in the snow.

Science Lab Time

It's just a matter of time. The school science project. Get a jump start on this years upcoming school science competition. Read books and magazines about challenging science activities you can do right in your own home. Have a science show to entertain the family. Record your discoveries and science demo presentation on video and replay it for even more fun.

Bowling

We are the champions! Who doesn't like to bowl while woofing down a slice of pizza or two. Designate one of your winter break days for a fun family and friends bowling championship.

Ice Skating

Many families love going to the local roller skating rink. Why not try ice skating for a change. Once thing is certain, it will be a thrilling adventure you'll never forget. The objective: Try to keep your body vertical and your feet on the ice. If anything is accomplished it will be a load of laughs worthy of capturing on video.

Day At The Library

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. A beautiful day for a book store, would you be mine... Every time I visit a neighborhood library or local bookstore I feel like I'm going to bump into Mr Rogers and trolley and go on a fantastic Kingdom adventure. Is there a local bookstore or library in your neighborhood? Venture out and discover some fun winter activities there. Speakers, presentations, book signing,craft courses, movies and more.When your done grab some books and have an at home book recital or story telling time.

The Walk of Your Life

I'm reminded of three movies each about an emotional distant family at a time of loss. A mother, wife or grandparent that recently passed away. What brought each family back together and helped them to heal? A walk. Not just any walk. This was a walk of their lives. Each story consisted of a walk with a hometown map in hand, specific locations marked on the map,  a written story about a family members activity on location and a walking from one spot to the other.

One of these stories had to do with a family emotionally displaced after the loss of their mother. In a desperate attempt to connect they did something rather odd. They bought a zoo. Learning to work together they found a way to mend their lives and recover by trying to finding their place in the new life they chose. Finally the children of this young family are brought full circle as they walk through a restaurant and hear a touching story of how their father and now mother met and fell in love. 

Guided Tour

The walk of life gives kids who experienced loss a chance to connect or reconnect with family in a way they may never have. It's an opportunity to merge the present with the past and explain how the relationship of their parents or grandparents came to be. It helps them draw closer to that person by hearing their story brought to life in a way they never before experienced.  A family history full of discovery, felicity and love. 

The Walk of Your Life

This walk of your life may be in the form of a guided tour of the places in town that touched the lives of the family in very special ways. Perhaps a walk that presents the weekly routine of the life of the grandparents or parents in the family. Using a map find all the spots you or your parents frequented. Next locate the one spot they met. Now locate fond places they liked to frequent and things they did while there. 

Tell The Story

Tell a story about a specific experience that occurred that helps define that moment in time. The atmosphere, feelings and nostalgia of the times spent there. How the relationship ascended to the next level.

Map The Course

Draw lines connecting each spot together progressively as the relationship advances from acquaintance to friendship to companionship to partnership and commitment.

On Location

Enter the store, parlor or office. Explain what took place there and how that experience defined the course their lives.  Perhaps it was a book store or mom and pop shop with the best pizza in town. A table in the corner where mom was asked out on the first date. A photo booth where dad and mom took their first silly photo together. A water fountain where mom and dad sat, talked and fell in love. The place they were wed. The first apartment they lived in. The window of a room in the house in which the children were conceived and so on. 

The walk of your life can conclude with dinner at a family restaurant that may one day be a part of the map the kids will make when they take their children on the walk of their lives.

Planning a family reunion? To get  more information about Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social web app click on the link on this blog page or access the profiles page.

Annual Family Reunion Planning Month Is On

Annual Family Reunion Planning Month is being observed by an ever growing diverse group of family reunion enthusiasts, genealogists, culture fest and history buffs to promote awareness of family values to bring family and community closer together.

According to Mark Askew, author of Fimark's Family Reunion Planner and founder of the reunion planning group that spearheads the FRPM movement many large family groups, schools, community groups, hotel and resort chains and tour travel companies have joined ranks to hold a FRPM workshops. Other hold free community concerts, school talent shows featuring family groups or historic community presentations featuring town and city tours or free restaurant taste tests.

This is a great time to invite family reunion planners as well as family recipe cooking demonstrations during FRPM food fests. "Two of our favorite activities has been having a neighborhood lawn and leaf party one weekend and a food fest the next", Mark reminisces.

Mutual support in the household engenders sustainable personal, community and  economic growth as families focus on family union. The key is by promoting fun and lively activities such as genealogy presentations, creative talent shows, culture fests, tourism and community and neighborhood volunteer work all with a view to family and community empowerment. 

During Family Reunion Planning Month families take the time to define roles, reward hard work and creativity while honing skills that contribute to good household management and mutual support. Creative family reunion planning contributes all that and more as families prepare reunion entertainment, diverse cultural fests and genealogy presentations in a fun and engaging way.

Annual Family Reunion Planning Month is a time to provide the family with an identity everyone can be proud of.  It's purpose is to give meaning and value to family life by honoring family legends, promoting family heritage and creating or maintaining traditions centered around family heirlooms.

This is a great time for hometown family fun. It's also a time for businesses, community groups, schools and organizations to creatively showcase practical services and resources to promote family, culture, community and economic empowerment. Buy out time now to get involved in something fulfilling everyone in the household will enjoy.

How will you be observing this enriching event? How can FRPM unite your family this year? How can FRPM and your business promote economic empowerment? Find out how you can get involved. Read more here. http://familyreunionplanners.blogspot.com/2013/10/8-ideas-to-celebrate-annual-family.html

Autumn - A Celebration of Family

This time of year is best enjoyed with family and good friends. It's a great time for neighborhood walks. front porch dining in flannel and wool sweaters. Brenda and I love taking long leisurely drives and enjoying the brilliant fall foliage.

Stop at a vegetable and fruit stand and drink down a cup of fresh apple cider. Taste chutney on sweet and salty crackers and spice bread.

As you're heading home watch a slow sun set, tell stories about your childhood, youth and growing up while enjoying the scent of pine cones, and wood stove embers stir in the sweet smell of harvest.

This is the month to celebrate family tradition enjoy the tastes of your culture. It's also the ideal time to plan your next family reunion.  What better time to begin baking and cooking then Autumn. It's a time to crank up the oven heat, get cozy and fill your home or apartment with the scent of roasted nuts, grains, pumpkin, ginger, honey and Cinnamon.  Serve robust dishes that warm you up deep down like chili, brothy beef stew or minestrone

or good old chunky chicken pot pie.

Bring the family together, enjoy engaging activities like updating a special family events calender, creating family slides shows, make printable and online keepsake booklets, design colorful t-shirts and collect and try out traditional and new family recipes. The sky is the limit.

Now you can do all that and more under the golden tree. Fimark Home Online and Legendary Heritage Heirlooms present a suite of family reunion planning tools and applications that include exciting craft, recipe and party and dinner planning ideas. And best of all you can do it all and share it all while staying connected to long-distance friends and family online.

Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social includes the following:

1. FAMILY REUNION PLANNER CHECKLIST
2. TODO LIST
3. DOWNLOADABLE EVENT PLANNING WORKSHEETS
4. THE COMPLETE PLANNER IN EBOOK FORMAT
5. NEWSLETTER MAKER
6. INVITATIONAL PRINTABLES
7. FAMILY RECIPE COMPILER
8. FAMILY REUNION SURVEY
9. FUNDRAISER WIDGET AND APP
10. RECEPTION HALL FINDER WITH REVIEWS
11. HOTEL FINDER With REVIEWS
12. REUNION CRUISE PLANNER
13. VACATION BOOKING APP
14. T-SHIRT DESIGNER
15. ITEMIZED BUDGET ESTIMATOR
16. DINNER PROGRAM TEMPLATES
17. ITINERARY TEMPLATES
18. DISCUSSION AND HELP BOARDS
19. ENGAGING FAMILY CRAFTS
20. MUSICAL SLIDESHOW CREATER
21. INSPIRING REUNION POEMS
22. INFORMATIVE REUNION PLANNING BLOG
23. FAMILY REUNION KEEPSAKE BOOKLET MAKER

Why learn new applications and perform tedious record keeping when much of the work has already been done for you within the applications and devices you normally use each day.  Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social integrates the family reunion planning process with many of the powerful social application you already use to enhance your event planning experience your way.

With Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social you get the job done more quickly performing up to 80% of your planning tasks online.

This is the future of event planning utilizing the best in cloud database and  DOM technology, online document sharing and social network integration.

With three options available for planning your Family reunion  Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social is more flexible and greener than ever before while helping you expedite tasks in a more organized and time efficient way.  Reduce footwork, lower event planning costs and spare your reunion funds for other uses.

Often event planning involves lots of time consuming data entry, numerous meetings with the family reunion planning committee, visits to hotels, collecting fees, reliance on a slow post mail system, the cost of stamps and shipping and delivery of t-shirts, the hunt for quality services and vendors and having to raise more funds to offset unexpected costs.

The Fimark Family Reunion Planner Social is designed to eliminate all of that while helping you save money, scores of tasks over weeks of time? How? 

The planner includes online tools, apps and spreadsheets integrated into a document sharing and conferencing system so other committee members can assist in getting certain tasks done and maintain good record keeping.

The  reunion planning interface features award winning services like family reunion  hotel finder,  reviews and online tours, committee video conferencing and spreadsheet document sharing,  and a means to import social network contacts to spreadsheet format not to mention the ability to design your custom T-shirt online and share with family members across several social networks enabling them to buy shirts online. 

You'll also enjoy bulk discounts for group orders and fast printing and shipping. Conference online using state-of-the-art conferencing programs. Hold a seasonal shopping fundraiser online and invite members to order products they need and love while profits are deposited into the reunion account. Make use of fundraiser widgets and Facebook apps to make donations convenient for all.

Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social to be released November 26th.