Time capsules were an iconic element of kids’ cartoons- characters were always finding them or burying their own! In real life, time capsules are an excellent way for children to consider complex ideas like time and change. Whether you store them in a shoe box or just seal a simple “About Me” page in an envelope, children will learn so much from the process of creating them! Consider this list to be your holy grail of time capsule activities!
1. First Day Time Capsule
Time capsule projects are an excellent way to start the school year. It can be as simple as using one of these printable, fill-in-the-blank writing activities! Students can share a few of their preferences, add some facts about their life, and add a few personal elements!
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2. Back-to-School Time Capsule
This back-to-school time capsule is an excellent activity to do as a family! The original creator created questions children can answer before and after their first day. You will also record their height with a piece of string, trace a handprint, and include a few other mementos!
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3. Paint Can Time Capsule
Paint can time capsules are the perfect undertaking for a crafty class! Children can find pictures and words to describe the year and then Mod Podge them to the outside! You can keep these special pieces as decorative accents in your home or classroom until they’re opened!
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4. Easy Time Capsule
Time capsules don’t have to be complicated. An early elementary student-friendly capsule project can be as simple as decorating a tub with stickers from their favorite shows and putting a few drawings inside! Adults can help record a student “interview” sharing a few facts about themselves!
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5. Capsule in a Bottle
A cheap way to make individual time capsules for a whole class is to use recycled bottles! Children can answer a few questions about their favorite things, record their hopes for the upcoming year, and write facts about themselves on slips of paper before sealing them in the bottle to read later!
Learn More: Mrs. Richardson’s Class
6. Tube Time Capsule
One time capsule container that almost anyone has is a paper towel tube! Complete a few “About Me” pages and then roll them up and seal them inside. This is another low-cost way to ensure everyone can make an individual student capsule year after year!
Learn More: Teaching Ideas
7. Mason Jar Time Capsule
Mason jar time capsules are an aesthetically-pleasing way to store memories in your home or classroom! These gorgeous time capsules can include family photos, confetti in children’s favorite colors, and other special mementos from the year. Check out your town’s Freecycle pages for donations of jars!
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8. NASA-Inspired Capsule
If you love the idea of making a time capsule but aren’t crafty, you can purchase a waterproof capsule from Amazon. It’s intended to be used in the old-school way–burial and all! It’s perfect for keeping those special keepsakes safe underground.
Learn More: Amazon
9. Shadowbox
One way to make a time capsule that doubles as an adorable keepsake are to create a shadowbox! As you attend events, travel, or celebrate achievements, place mementos in a shadowbox frame. Think of it as a 3-dimensional scrapbook! At the end of each year, clear it out for new adventures!
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10. Digital Time Capsule
Perhaps you just can’t narrow down your items enough to fit them inside your time capsule. Maybe you’re not into making a physical capsule at all! Instead, try this digital memory book version! Simply upload photos of meaningful objects or events onto a flash drive.
Learn More: Mindy Jones Blog
11. Daily Log
Have you ever heard of the line-a-day journals? Have children start this project on January 1st, or on the first day of school. They will write a sentence each day; creating a book of sorts, and they can then read through their entries at the end of the year!
Learn More: OC Mom Collective
12. Checklist
If you don’t know where to start with time capsule contents, take a peek at this list! Some of the more unique ideas are copies of favorite recipes, printed maps, and coins minted this year. Pick and choose what would be meaningful to your child!
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13. Newspaper Clippings
One classic element to place in a time capsule is newspaper clippings. This is also a great way to incorporate time capsules into your social studies curriculum. Ask children to identify what they think are the major events or discoveries that have occurred during this time period!
Learn More: OC Mom Collective
14. Yearly Prints
An awesome family keepsake to include in your time capsule box is a handprint or footprint! You can make a simple salt dough or, if you don’t have those supplies on hand, you can stamp your little one’s prints on a piece of paper! It’s truly a “hands-on” addition!
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15. Birthday Memories
As parents, we sometimes have difficulty letting go of tangible memories from children’s special celebrations. You can give yourself a bit of time to keep those special items by including invitations, announcements, and cards in your time capsule! When the year is up, let them go.
Learn More: Find Your Mom Tribe
16. Yearly Facts
A time-honored item to include in a time capsule is a list of important annual events and some relics from that time. This printable time capsule set contains a template for recording facts and figures about the year to compare to the date it’s unsealed!
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17. Height Record
One sweet time capsule idea is a ribbon measuring your child’s height! If you make time capsules yearly traditions, you can compare the strings each year to see how much they’ve grown. Tie it in a bow and attach it to this darling poem before tucking it in your capsule!
Learn More: Teaching Ideas
18. Future You
Maybe students’ time capsules won’t actually stay sealed for thirty years, but it’s still fun to think ahead! Get students engaged in creative writing by asking them to draw and write about themselves at this point in time and then what they predict they’ll be like as an adult!
Learn More: Teaching Exceptional Thinkers
19. Family Time Capsule
Try sending a creative time capsule project home with your students! You can include printable templates for families to complete, an idea checklist, as well as craft supplies for decorating their capsules. It’s an excellent way to encourage parental involvement in your class unit!
Learn More: Playful Notes
20. Printables
These sweet printables are a low-prep option for making a memory book-style time capsule with students! They can prepare a few things like a self-portrait, handwriting sample, and list of goals, and then save them as part of a portfolio to receive at the end of the school year.
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21. First-Day Photos
Those sweet “First Day of School” memory boards are an excellent way to record tons of information about your children in one photograph. Add those first-day photos to your time capsule box! Then, you’ll have more space to include a variety of contents rather than multiple pieces of paper.
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22. Kindergarten/Senior Time Capsule
One especially meaningful time capsule for families is one created in kindergarten and reopened as your kids graduate high school. Families will love spending time together; reflecting on the school experience.
Learn More: Joy’s Jots, Shots, and Whatnots
23. Leap Year Time Capsule
If you’re looking for a more long-term project, try starting a time capsule on a leap year and then keeping it sealed until the next one! You can use this freebie to guide students in thinking about what might be the same or different about themselves after four years pass!
Learn More: The Teacher Bag
24. “Newspaper” Time Capsule
A fun way to frame a digital time capsule project is in the form of a newspaper! Students can pretend to write about important events in their lives and the world, share “opinion pieces”, and record a list of accomplishments in a newspaper layout. Seal it in an envelope and save it for later!
Learn More: Etsy
25. Class Memory Book
Even busy teacher takes plenty of photos during the year. As the school year progresses, record fun projects, field trips, and exciting events, and then add them to a photo album. At the end of the year, look back at all the memories made together in your “Class Time Capsule”.
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