Mommy's Materials
Family photos
Mementos
Airtight canister with lid
(such as container used for potato chips, oatmeal, coffee, etc.)
Safety scissors
Markers and/or stickers
Tinfoil
Nontoxic glue

Creating a time capsule can become an annual tradition that your family looks forward to each New Year's. As young children grow, they begin to understand the concept of the passage of time. Dig out old pictures and show your child how he's grown. Share your own childhood pictures too and point out how various members of your family such as grandparents or aunts and uncles looked when they were children.

Your Child Will Learn

Fine motor skills, Listening/Language skills, Number recognition, Concept of "time", Family history, Critical thinking, Creativity

STEP BY STEP

1. Gather up personal items such as photos of family, friends, and pets. Be sure to label names and vital statistics (e.g., height, weight); add artwork, child's handprint, a toy, and/or newspaper and magazine headlines.

2. Cover the canister with tinfoil and decorate any way your child desires, using markers, stickers, or other items. Put your child's name and the date on the time capsule.

3. Place personal items inside the capsule. After replacing the lid, explain that the capsule is to be hidden away until a certain date. Help your child decide when the capsule should be opened: next New Year's? In five years? In ten years? In twenty-five years?

4. Choose a place to hide the capsule (a basement or attic works well) and conceal it with a note specifying the opening date.