How to Make a Time Capsule for the First Day of School

Use the cover label to stick on a glass jar or recycled plastic bottle. Then, have your pupils complete the smaller templates and roll them up to fit in the jar or bottle.

At the end of the year, pupils can open up their time capsules to see what they looked like and what they wrote on their first day of the school year.

Here’s a snapshot of what your pupils will include in their time capsule:

• How I measure up – a template for pupils to measure their height with a piece of string and stick it to the piece of paper. Pupils can then open this on the last day of school to see how much they have grown.
• Goals are important – pupils write down one or two main goals for the year. A great way for them to reflect at the end of the year to see how far they have come.
• Take a selfie – pupils take a photo of themselves and stick it on this piece of paper. A great visual for them to compare themselves and how much they have changed on the last day of school.
• A few of my favourite things – pupils write down a few of their favourite things and then compare these items on the last day of school. Have any of their favourite things changed?
• When I grow up – pupils write what they want to be when they grow up and why.
• Here’s my handprint – how much has their hand grown in a school year?
• If I could be an animal – a little bit of fun! What animal would they be and why?
• About me today – a few other facts about themselves. Including how many teeth they have lost, their weight, etc.

The purpose of this first-day-of-school activity is for pupils to include information about themselves on the first day of the school year. The time capsules are then put away until the last day of school when pupils can open them up to see how much they have changed in just one short school year.