Celebrate Your Traditions with a Family Time Capsule

A small box in my closet holds old photos, yearbooks and neon-colored dance recital costumes. Recently, my kids peeked inside my keepsake box, and we spent the afternoon recalling funny family stories. Then, using an extra storage box, we packed away selected family treasures into a time capsule, not to be opened before 2027. Will we last five years before opening it? Maybe not, as my children are experts at opening hidden packages. But the experience of talking about family memories was a way to introduce my children to our family heritage.

Creating a family keepsake time capsule is a way to help children gain more understanding of the world around them. As the National Association for the Education of Young Children explains, young children “foster positive identity and an emerging sense of self within the context of their family and culture.” As a bonus, when we notice the shapes, patterns, and numbers in a time capsule project, we also boost their learning with early math.

Learning Goals

• Practice early math skills like spatial senseusing location and position words, shape recognition, and number sense.
• Use math talk in everyday discussions.
• Talk about and celebrate family heritage and traditions.

Materials

• Large repurposed box (shoe box, plastic container, or cardboard delivery box, for example)
• Markers, crayons, or other art supplies
• Tape

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Start a discussion on family heritage and traditions, including the big ones, like special occasions (birthday or holiday celebrations, for example) and the small ones, like yummy dinner recipes, favorite storybooks, or nightly routines. Consider talking about family routines you had growing up and if they are similar or different compared to today. You might also draw some of these traditions with this “Our Family” printable from Sesame Street in Communities.

2. Next, collect non-perishable objects that represent your family and your traditions or heritage. Notice the shapes of each item. Are there any patterns in the set? Compare the sizes and order from largest to smallest. You might also draw pictures or write a storybook about your family to include.

3. Point out the square or rectangular shape of the large box. Depending on your child’s age, you might introduce the concept of 3-dimensional shapes — ones that are not flat on paper that you can hold in your hands.

4. Explain that a time capsule is a box that holds memories. When you close a time capsule, you keep it safely hidden away for some time and open it again in the future.

5. Decide how long you want to store your time capsule. As children are still learning about time, you might consider using birthdays as a milestone. For example, “Now you are five years old, and we will open this box up when you are 10.” Talk about addition and subtraction using your fingers to model the numbers between different ages.

6. Carefully arrange your selected family objects in the box and seal them with tape.

7. Using markers, crayons, or other art supplies, decorate outside the box. Be sure to include opening instructions.

8. Find a special place to store the box, like the top of a closet or under a bed.

For more fun with family heritage and culture check out these videos, games and activities from PBS KIDS:

• PBS KIDS Family Traditions Bingo: PreK and K
• Making Family Traditions Packet
• "Molly of Denali," Celebrate Family Traditions
• "Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood," Daniel’s Family Tree
• "Alma’s Way," No Go Monfongo
  

Sharing family traditions for years to come, time capsules are a great way to incorporate math into your family’s learning experiences.