What you need:
• Containers with lids (metal coffee cans with lids, large plastic coffee cans with screw-on lids, plastic
containers (Rubbermaid, etc.) with lids, an empty oatmeal container, an empty shoebox, an empty cereal
box without the bag.)
• Glue or duct tape
• Markers
• Various personal items (see below)
In this activity, you can capture and preserve current parts of your life for the future. The capsules don’t
need to be buried, but store them in a safe place until the time comes to open them.
Decorate the time capsules (if you want to). Paint the outside, or use permanent markers (it depends on
what the container is made of). Tape or glue a piece of paper with the date/year of when the time capsule
should be opened. Ten years is recommended so you can see how you have changed growing into
adulthood. Fill your time capsule. There is a list of suggested items below.
Sealing your time capsule can be done in a variety of ways, but using duct tape (clear tape won’t stay
sticky long enough) or gluing the lids closed will work. If the capsule is a Rubbermaid-type box, just
snapping the lid closed should be enough. However, it is very tempting to open a time capsule that isn’t
sealed!
Open in ten years!
Possible items to place in time capsule
• Letter to your future self—describe yourself, your hopes for the future, and any predictions you might
have for your life.
• Photos of friends, family, pets, house, school, car—whatever is important to you at this time.
• Newspaper articles showing current events or trends. Both local and world news.
• Letters—ask your parents to write a letter to you, talking about the current day or about what they hope
for the future. Friends can also contribute letters. These should be sealed unread and placed in the time
capsule.
• Filled journals or paper calendars.
• Price tags of items/store receipts (to see how prices change).
• Items that are important to you—toys or trinkets. Suggestion: Label these items because you might not
remember why it was important to your teenage self.
• Movie ticket stubs.
• Lists!
Here are some suggestions:
42
- Favorite songs
- Favorite outfits
- Favorite things in your room
- Favorite friends
- Favorite foods
- Favorite books
- Favorite movies
- “Things you hope to do before you die” (Bucket list)
- List of what you hated about being a teenager
- Websites you look at every day
Do not put anything in that will rot or leak (favorite candy bar for example).