Make Your Own Time Capsule!

While we certainly can't travel through time, we can capture a little of the past for the future by making a time capsule.

Time capsules are containers that are filled with artifacts and documents that represent a particular time period or event. These capsules are designed to be buried or stored for a long period of time, with the intention of being opened and examined by future generations. Making your own time capsule can be a lot of fun and you decide the rules! Here are some tips below.

1. Find a box or storage container that will fit all of your items. It will need to be airtight.

2. Decorate your box if you wish.

3. Be sure to label your box as a time capsule with your name, the date it was buried, and the date you wish it to be opened.

4. Put all of your items inside. You may wish to put some items inside a ziplock bag as well.

5. Do not put food or any item that you can't live without in the time capsule.

6. Find a spot to bury your time capsule. Be sure to bury it in a yard that someone intends to keep indefinitely. Try to find a spot with a landmark, so you know where to find it. If possible, mark your spot with something like a brick or plant a bush over where it is buried.

7. Keep a record of your time capsule in your family. Let others know when it is to be opened and where it is buried.

Things to add to your Time Capsule:

• Photos! School photos, Family photos, A photo of your house, car, room, friends, you name it!

• A USB drive with videos and photos

• A newspaper from today

• Mementos: ticket stubs, take-out menus, etc.

• A few favorite family recipes

• Handprints made with paint

• A list of your age, height, shoe size

• Facts about you: where do you work/go to school, names of teachers, friends, co-workers, what are your hobbies, what do you want to be when you grow up, what do you still hope to achieve in life, etc.

• List favorite things: color, foods, TV shows, movies, games, celebrities, music, books, things to do in your free time

• A list of how much things cost (gallon of gas, milk, eggs, going to the movies, etc)

• Copies of schoolwork

• A coin minted from this year

• A magazine you like (or just a picture or article)

• A picture that you drew or some other artwork

• What is your typical day like

• Write a letter to yourself

• Write a letter to the finder/opener of the time capsule

• Anything else you want to remember or that you want someone else to know if they open your time capsule.