Erin:

        I certainly don't want to debate the issue that one's genealogy
remains the same despite the circumstanes, which of course it does.  But
genealogy is tricky and the situation you describe is not the only one
there might be: there are families where there are two moms or two dads;
families where dad is in jail, families here illegially; families newly
divided where discussion of "family" is difficult for youngsters; families
that know precious little about an earlier generation, etc.

         And: a genealogy project presents children with blanks to fill in
and believe me, kids who can't answer all the questions often feel as if
they have, or their families have somehow failed.

        My point, and I seem to be out here all alone on this, is that with
so many really goo projects for kids to do, why introduce one that might
work for most of the kids but leaves a batch of them feeling worse about
themselves?

        I firmly believe in crossing generations, involving parents or
family, and all those good things.  But talking to a neighbor about her/his
life and then connecting the important things to our national or even local
history is a good project that results in intergenerational dialogue, oral
history skills, the design of a project, and involvement with the local
past.

        Looking at how a street has changed, which school kids can do, is
another way of understanding change over time in a locality.  Store types
come and go; neighborhoods are used differently over time, etc.  The
architecture changes.

        Focusing on World War II and people's involvement in it is another
way of putting together a history project that involves skills and results
in gathering local information.  This could end with a panel discussion for
the children of some survivors of that conflict.  Or, if war is not a topic
that is of interest, a local project could be devised about a new
interstate through a neighborhood, environmental concerns, political
sampling over a local or state issue, etc.

        Or, children can do the genealogy of a house or local building.
They could interview their parents about their own childhood looking for
the ways in which childhood has changed over time and those things, like
Girl Scouts, that have remained constant.  Or have they?