Notes from the Intern: Time Capsules

Last week the kids in the Drop-In-Art class explored the idea of time capsules. We began by talking about what the past looked like. The kids had some great opinions about the past; with comments ranging from “there were no cars” to “it was really dirty.”

We then talked about what it would be like to find a time capsule from the past. What would you find? How would your thoughts about the past change? Do you think there would be any similarities between you and the person?

We then discussed making our own time capsules. What do we want people to know about us today that maybe the history books won’t catch? This was a tough question for them, and probably for all of us. How do we want to be remembered? The textbooks will remember the economy crisis, the first African American president…but what about you and me?

While this idea could have been explored for hours, at this point the kids were anxious to get started on their own time capsules. We decided to stick with the idea of showing who we are as individuals: what we like, what we look like, how tall we are, etc. The students began working diligently on their time capsules.

I had a bag full of empty pop or juice bottles to use as the actual time capsules. After filling out the worksheets entitled “Welcome to My Time Capsule” and “My Favorites” and “This is What I Look Like,” the kids rolled them up and slid them into their bottle. They then added to their time capsules a string that indicated how tall they are.

After we put all the details in, we filled the bottles with feathers and sealed them up. We wrapped the bottles in foil and decorated them on the outside too. They then took them home in order to hide them away so someday someone will find their time capsule and know what a six or seven year old was like back in 2009.

** Shelly is a senior at Calvin College majoring in English and Studio Art. She shares her experiences interning at the Cook Arts Center on this blog once a week. **