I love this idea for people of all ages. It is something you can enjoy putting together yourself, or as a family or group of friends.

The idea is simple. Take a look at your life and figure out what kinds of things best represent you. Then gather up those things in one place and share them with others! You can choose to create a scrapbook, a poster, or a full fledged exhibit – complete with object labels! Any format will do.

Creating a “Museum of You” can also help you get to know your parents, children, spouse, and friends a little better.

Here’s another twist. Why not try to do a “Museum of You” for someone you love? See if you can capture their personality, hobbies, career, childhood, and milestones. You could also do this to honor a loved one who has passed away. Or to celebrate an anniversary.

If you are the “family historian,” why not share some of your information with the rest of the clan? Show them where they’re from, how they got here, and where they might be going.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. But it could be. You could include a recording of an interview with Grandma, video from a baby’s first birthday, old report cards and high school awards. What a wonderful birthday gift this could be!

A few words of caution:

1. NEVER use an original photo for your display. Color photocopies are so good today, they will look almost exactly like the original. You will be able to cut it, color it, mount it, etc. without destroying a family heirloom. This is also true for documents, such as immigration papers, marriage licenses, baptismal certificates, etc.

2. Don’t permanent affix any “artifact” to another surface, because you will ruin it. For example, don’t glue Grandpa’s high school varsity letter to a piece of poster board. Instead, put it in a Ziploc bag and attach that to your poster. You will still be able to see it, and you won’t hurt the original item.

3. Don’t punch holes in anything, not even with a teeny tiny tack or pin. You will still be hurting the artifact. Instead of pinning Grandma’s pillbox hat to your poster, spend a few dollars to buy a Styrofoam head to “wear” the hat. It will look much nicer and you won’t be putting irreparable holes in something special.

You could also use a scaled back version of this project at your next cocktail party or meeting as an ice breaker or fun activity. Ask each person to bring three items that best represent them. Limit them to just three, so they will have to choose something significant and meaningful. You can have each person present what they brought and why.

Or you can ask each person to bring their items in a plain paper bag. Have an “MC” take each thing out and describe it, and take turns trying to guess who the person is.

All of us have personal things that represent who we are. Creating a mini-exhibition about yourself can bring back wonderful memories that you can share with others!!