Let's find out!
Make a list
Get yourself a piece of paper and something to write with, and go on a tour of your house. Inside and out, don't skip anything! You'll need to be very watchful and make a list of what you can see. Here are some of the things you need to include:
- What the walls are made of and how they are decorated.
- Is the house brick built, or made of some other type of material? What type of house is it? For example, bungalow, terraced house, flat.
- What about the roof; what is it made of? No daredevils please--ask your parents. Trust me, there is absolutely no need for you to climb up there!
- How many windows do you have and what style are they in?
- How many rooms do you have and what is in each room?
- Are they all carpeted, or are some tiled, some wooden or some lino?
- How is the house heated? Do you have hot running water, electricity, gas? How are all these supplied?
- How many electric sockets do you have in each room? How many lights and light switches?
- How do you parents cook, keep things cold, do the dishes, wash the clothes and dry the clothes?
- How do they clean the house? What do they use to clean the house?
These are just a few of the many things you could note down. If you want to add more or less to your list, then please do!
Time To Grill The Parents & Grandparents
Now you're going to give your parents & grandparents the 'Third Degree.' Nice to be able to grill them for a change, isn't it?
Take your list with your information on it and ask your elders the same questions you've asked yourself. Be prepared! They are certain to answer far more than you can possibly write, so you'll have to try and remember what you can't note down.
You'll probably notice that houses changed a lot! There will even be changes between where your grandparents were raised and where your parents were raised. Remember, you'll be asking what the houses were like that they were raised in, at YOUR age.
Make a note of the differences and then think about how lucky you are! :) Do you think these differences include name changes? Was a toilet called something different in the past? What was a fireplace called? Ask your family what they called things when they were children.
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