Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, will speak during RootsTech 2025’s Family Discovery Day on Saturday, March 8, event organizers announced Tuesday.
Elder and Sister Andersen’s session will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. They will share personal messages focused on accessing the blessings of the temple and family history, and Elder Andersen will also take attendees on a virtual journey to the dairy farm of his youth.
Family Discovery Day 2025 will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Salt Palace. The free, one-day event is designed specifically for Latter-day Saints and will feature a variety of games, projects and activities for families from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
No registration is needed to attend Family Discovery Day. Those wishing to attend the full RootsTech event, not just Family Discovery Day, should register at RootsTech.org.
RootsTech is a three-day global online and in-person family celebration conference hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other leading genealogy organizations.
The 2025 event is scheduled for March 6-8, with an in-person event in the Salt Palace and online at RootsTech.org, with select content available in multiple languages.
Family Discovery Day activities
RootsTech 2024’s Family Discovery Day featured a video presentation of the late President M. Russell Ballard’s last visit to Church history sites in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois, prior to his death on Nov. 12, 2023.
This year, Family Discovery Day attendees can enjoy free, in-person RootsTech classes, Tuesday’s announcement states. Speakers include T.C. Christensen, John and Kimberly Bytheway, and Scott and Angelle Anderson, teaching classes on a variety of topics such as engaging teens in family discovery experiences, using ancestors’ stories to build emotional resilience, temple and family history callings, and Latter-Day Saint genealogy.
Guests can also participate in a variety of traditional activities from Korean, Native American and Latin American cultures. Young guests can experience “retro technology” and participate in DNA learning activities, the announcement states.
Some specific activities include:
- “Blast From the Past”: Call loved ones using rotary phones, type on a typewriter and play the classic computer game “Oregon Trail.”
- “Jelly Genes”: Use jelly beans in this interactive DNA learning activity to discover the process of gene inheritance.
- “Ojo de Dios (Eye of God)”: Try out a traditional weaving technique from the Huichol people of Mexico and learn about the cultural significance of the symbol.
- “Corn Husk Dolls”: Create traditional corn husk dolls and learn why the centuries-old craft rooted in Native American and Latin American cultures is significant.
- “Korean Calligraphy”: Watch skilled artists use traditional painted calligraphy to write names in Hangul, the alphabet of the Korean language.
Additionally, Family Discovery Day guests can explore the RootsTech Expo Hall to learn what’s new in the world of family history technology.
