Make a time capsule

Practice writing, encourage creativity and increase vocabulary by building your own time capsule
Child and parent digging or gardening.

  • }Target year group: primary school pupils – KS1 and KS2

  • cTime: 1 hour

  • uLinks to art and design, history and outdoor education

Learning objectives

Practice writing, encourage creativity and increase vocabulary.

Resources needed

  • Time capsule container (bottle, box, envelope, etc.)
  • Paper
  • Craft materials.

 

Instructions 

Create a time capsule that could include:
  • Writing a letter describing favourite things, hobbies, toys, friends, experience of being in lockdown. 
  • Articles cut from a newspaper 
  • Paintings and drawings.
Encourage children to include art, collage and update it every day. 
Bury your time capsule in the garden or keep it in a safe place at home.
How to put the idea into practice
Guidance is needed in teasing out ideas to capture, supporting writing and facilitating access to materials.
Family with children drawing and writing together (education and teaching)
 

Ways to include all learners

It is up to the learners what they want to include in the time capsule. 

How might this activity support social, emotional and mental health needs?

It aims to get children focused on gathering objects, creating artefacts that are important to them. It also helps them to identify what is important to them and they enjoy doing. Allows for discussions of experiences under lockdown.

 
Research with Plymouth Institute of Education