How to Make a Back-to-School Time Capsule

Send a message to Future You with this creative project that'll get you excited about the new school year.

Sarah Burns

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Make time traveling part of your back-to-school plans! You may not be able to jump ahead to find out all the correct answers to the tests you’ll take this year, but Right Now You might surprise Future You with how much — or how little — you've changed by the time the school year's through.

What You’ll Need:

A jar with a lid
Printable Seal and Questionnaire
Tape
A pen or pencil
Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
Scissors
Mementos for your Time Capsule jar

1. Round up your jar-fillers

Find small objects that mean something to you, or that highlight the progress you made last year and the goals you hope to achieve this year. Things like old report cards, photos, friendship bracelets, small trinkets, notes and drawings are all great choices.

2. Print out the Questionnaire and Seal

We've developed an Extra Super Scientific Back to School Time Capsule Questionnaire just for this project, plus a Do Not Open Seal for your time capsule that will help remind you when it's time to open (and when it's not!).

Print out this sheet, and use scissors to cut out the three questionnaire slips and the seal. Fill out the time capsule questionnaire (honest answers only!), write the year on the Seal, then decorate the pages.