forgotten childhood

A Loving Gift to Your Child’s Future Self

Haven’t you, like me, wondered why most of us don’t remember anything prior to age 3? Well, it turns out, we DO have memories prior to age 3, however, those memories are almost completely forgotten somewhere between the ages of 6 and 9. How fun would it be to record our kids’ memories of these years before they forget them? I recently read a fascinating story on NPR about childhood amnesia.

 “Another powerful determinant of whether an early memory sticks is whether a child fashions it into a good story, with a time and place and a coherent sequence of events, (University Research Professor Carole) Peterson says. ‘Those are the kinds of memories that are going to last.’”

StoryCatcher® | for iPhone is the perfect tool to fashion such a story. Record your child on video, sharing their memories in their own words. Once you’ve filmed their story, add screen text and photos to help round it out. Easily share with family and friends now, plus save it to enjoy for years to come.

Imagine what fun it will be for your child to see themself recollecting their life stories from times that  would otherwise be forgotten.

childhood amnesia
childhood amnesia

StoryCatcher® is a simple tool you can use to create high quality keepsake videos with.

“For a long time, scientists thought childhood amnesia occurred because the brains of young children simply couldn’t form lasting memories of specific events. Then, in the 1980s, (Patricia) Bauer (a professor of psychology at Emory University) and other researchers began testing the memories of children as young as 9 months old, in some cases using gestures and objects instead of words.

 “At age 3, the children were all recorded speaking with a parent about recent events, like visiting an amusement park or a visit from a relative. Then as the kids got older, the researchers checked to see how much they remembered.

 “And they found that children as old as 7 could still recall more than 60 percent of those early events, while children who were 8 or 9 recalled less than 40 percent. ‘What we observed was actually the onset of childhood amnesia,’ Bauer says.”

Download StoryCatcher® On The Apple App Store

Easily create and share personal video stories. Your privacy is number one with us. Once you download the app, you have 100% control over your media and data!

Life Story Prompts Card Deck

My Life in Paragraphs Card Deck

Provocative Story Prompts

StoryCatcher® comes with great story prompts already loaded inside the app. Simply tap on “Interview Tips.” If you’re wanting to go deeper, we’ve repurposed our “My Life in Paragraphs” card deck into a book. It will helps you craft a true legacy video. Go for it and create a full documentary when using the “Collections” feature.  Get your prompts now.

Live & Online Retreats

Join April Bell in engaging retreat experiences to discover your legacy stories, one paragraph at a time. Learn More about My Life in Paragraphs.

by APRIL BELL

by APRIL BELL

Personal Historian | Video Producer

April Bell has been capturing people’s life stories in The San Francisco Bay Area and across the U.S. since 2008. Her work has been written about in WIRED,  The New York Times, USA Today, and elsewhere. She is proud co-creator of StoryCatcher® for iOS.

Learn more about her personal storytelling work at TreeOfLifeLegacies.com.

“StoryCatcher® is a wonderful development in the evolution of how we record, structure, and save [video] histories.”

Liz Massey, Professional Oral Historian

"StoryCatcher® is more than a home movie and more than just a slide show. This app allows you to showcase small pieces of your ... life in high quality videos without having to know any of the skills of a video editor!"

Shannon Combs Bennet, The In-depth Genealogist

"Even iPhone apps are being used to create ethical wills. April Bell, who owns a video storytelling business called Tree of Life Legacies, codeveloped the ethical will app StoryCatcher® for iPhone use."

The New York Times, Story: Ethical Wills In The Tech Age