HOW TO CREATE A TIME CAPSULE

	Creating a time capsule is one way to reflect and preserve what best represents our present time. Materials Empty shoebox Markers Crayons Glue Scissors Contact paper Construction paper Glitter (optional) Stickers (optional)

1. Brainstorm a list of inventions that changed people's lives during the past 1,000 years. Select 5 to 10 items (people, events, inventions, ec.) that symbolize achievements of the past 1,000 years.

2. In pairs research information from books and on the Internet.

3. Make a list of what items to include in your time capsule. If working with youth, older children can write and younger children can draw pictures of the items. To help you decide on what to include in the box, list five items you would like to remember about life at the end of the 20th century.

4. Use an empty shoebox, or an oatmeal container. Decorate the inside of the box with contact paper and cover the outside of the box and tie the lid with pipe cleaners. (For a long-lasting capsule, choose a metal or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid to keep the air out. For extra protection, seal edges with duct tape.) Seal the capsule by gluing a strip of paper over the top of the lid and down the sides. Sign and date the seal.

5. If you use a well-sealed metal or plastic container you can bury it with the permission of your local parks department) in the park or a community garden.
   If you use cardboard then you want to store your capsule in a cool, dry place. It is up to you when you will open it. Youth in an after-school program might want to create a capsule at the beginning of the program year an open it either at the end of the year.

• A cassette tape of a popular type of music
• Photographs or videotape a historical figure, event, or place
• Ticket stubs from a well known concert or movie
• A scrapbook of postcards and greeting cards
• A letter from you to the persons who will open your time capsule in the future
• Letters from family and friends
• Silhouette of you

100 Inventions that Shaped World History by Bill Yenne and Dr. Morton Grosser (Bluewood Books, 1993).
Surfing for Substance by Emily Hacker (Literacy Assistance Center, 1999).
Millennium Family Encyclopedia by Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
History of Almost Everything by Dorling Kindersley, 1995.

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