When James Dean died, my mother thought she would never get over it. After she told me this years later, I never saw her in quite the same way again. She explained that for her, Dean symbolized her own restlessness to escape small town Indiana and kindled her hopes for the future. Suddenly I could see her as a real girl who experienced the same kinds of feelings that I had. Her confession sparked further revelations, such as her teenage dreams of being a concert pianist.

That’s when women’s history came really alive for me.

Are you looking for a new way to celebrate women’s history with your daughter? Consider organizing a party where she and her friends honor their foremothers. It’s a fun way for her to learn lots more about a favorite aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, or even Mom.

The celebration will help girls get a sense of “where we came from and let us all draw strength from our heritage,” says Molly Murphy MacGregor, executive director and co-founder of the National Women's History Project, an organization that has brought light to female history since 1980.

While family stories often center on experiences within the family, this celebration will allow girls to explore the women in their families in the framework of their times. “When we begin to recognize the women in our family history for who they are and what they have done, we break down stereotypes,” says MacGregor, noting the importance of including women fully in family and world history.

Ask each girl to select a foremother that they’ll research, and suggest she focus on a particular time in this woman’s life. Girls will likely find it most fun to look at their foremothers’ teen or tween years. Almanacs are an easy tool to collect information about the culture, music, fashion, politics, customs, and controversial issues of the day.

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