If you've ever had to compile a family tree for school or a merit badge, then you've been introduced to genealogy, the study of ancestors. But genealogy doesn't have to stop at a chart full of "greats" and "grands." Here are some ways to bring history to life by connecting with your relatives — and not just for the holidays. In our fast-paced society, it's nice to remember you have roots.

INTERVIEW YOUR RELATIVES

Start with the oldest first. Record the conversation on tape or video. There are lots of interview tips at USGenWeb Kidz (www.rootsweb.com/~usgwkidz), the kids page for the online genealogy network USGenWeb, and the answers can help you better understand your heritage. Some sample interview questions:

1. Did you get an allowance? What did you do with it?

2. Who were your childhood heroes?

3. Did you go to church when you were little?

4. What was a family dinner like?

5. What's your favorite memory from your wedding day?

6. How did you choose your children's names?

7. Did you serve in the military?

Alternately, instead of an interview, you can start a letter exchange. Write to a relative each month asking a different question. Ask them to mail back their answers, along with copies of photos or other memorabilia. Compile everything in a keepsake binder.

6 FUN PROJECTS

1. Write down your family's holiday traditions, and ask how they got started.

2. Compile a list of family record holders: oldest, youngest, tallest, shortest, richest, funniest, most famous, best storyteller, most children, best dresser, most educated, etc.

3. Ask a relative for a favorite family recipe, then make it together. Then compile a family cookbook, complete with memories.

4. Turn a world map into an ancestors' map by placing stickers on each country your ancestors came from. Then explore the history, folk tales and foods of those countries.

5. Make a family timeline, integrating major family events (immigration, births, deaths, marriages) into events from American and world history.

6. Play the faces game. Line up relatives or photos and see who's got has the same eyes, the same nose, the same hair, etc.

5 WAYS TO SPRUCE UP A FAMILY TREE

1. Illustrate each person's name with a photo or self-portrait.

2. Use different fruits — apples, pears, lemons, limes — to distinguish each branch of the family.

3. Instead of a tree, make a mobile. You'll need photos, string and dowels or a wire hanger. Start with yourself at the top, then parents below that, then grandparents below that.

4. Make a handprint tree. Trace each relative's handprints onto colored paper, cut them out, label them and use them for leaves.

5. Make a family T. Outline a family tree or pedigree chart on a T-shirt and have relatives fill in their names with permanent marker.

Sources: www.genwriters.com, www.teachnet.com, Family Fun magazine

5 GREAT WEB SITES

www.Ancestry.com: The Web site with the biggest buzz, thanks especially to its links on DNA research. Features tools and tips for beginners and advanced, including searchable databases of civil war service, immigration lists and newspaper headlines. www.ancestry.com

Family Search: The 800-pound gorilla of genealogy, this is the Web site of the Mormon Church, with access to the world's largest collection of free genealogical records. www.familysearch.org

History detective: In the game "Port of Entry: Immigration," the Library of Congress lets kids play detective, searching for clues in historic photos and eyewitness accounts of immigrant life. It's one of many activities using the "American Memory" archives.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/port/start.html

Name search: Hamrick software company sponsors this nifty site that tracks surname distribution across America, from 1850 to 1990. For instance, in 1850, most of the Davises were in the Southeast. By 1990, they were all over the place. http://hamrick.com/names

What's in a name? Find out what your surname means at surnames.behindthename.com. ("Davis," for instance, derives from "David.") Check out your first name at www.behindthename.com.