Students change so much over a given year! What better way to celebrate and bring awareness to this than to create a class time capsule? At the beginning of the year, find a box to place student artifacts in. The box could be something fancy or could be a cardboard box covered with student art. Fill it with student work and open it at the end of the school year. Keep reading for 5 activities to do with students to fill the time capsule!
- Have students draw or create a collage that represents them. Depending on the age of your students, they could draw a self-portrait, create a metaphorical self-portrait, and/or have students draw/ glue things that they are interested in on a piece of paper.
- Students could craft a letter to their future selves. Have students write a letter to themselves to open on the last day of their current grade. It could include some goals for things they want to accomplish this year, who their current friends are, what they are excited for this year, and anything else that want to tell their future selves.
- A drawing/ painting of an outdoor area. The seasons change just as much as the students! Get students to draw or paint an outdoor area. Ensure that they use colour. Place it in the capsule as a reminder of how much the seasons change as well as the students.
- A photo of their favourite spot in the classroom/ school. Have access to a camera? Let students take a picture of their favourite spot in the classroom or school. Print it out with their names on the back and see if their favourite spot changes over the year!
- Have students create a found poem with words that they find around the classroom/school. In a found poem, students use words and sentences that they find and then make a poem out of these found words. Have them craft this poem out of things that find around the classroom to create a snapshot of the words that were around the classroom at the beginning of the year.
Time capsules are a great way to remember what life was like at a given moment to then reflect on at a later date. I hope you enjoy using these activities with your class!
