Capture a snapshot of your family right now by making a Leap Year time capsule.
This Saturday is Leap Day and it is the last February 29th we will have until the next leap year in 2024! To celebrate this occasion, I decided to have my children make a Leap Year time capsule for their future selves to open in four years. They will have changed and grown so much by then, I thought this would be a fun way to track their progress.
What to Put Inside
I had my kids write a list of their favorites (colors, tv shows, games, activities, friends, foods, songs) as well as what they wanted to be when they grew up. I also included a current picture of the both of them with our dog. I chose not to put any toys or possessions in our time capsule but that would be a fun addition to add too.
Some other time capsule treasure ideas:
- Today’s newspaper
- A picture of your home
- List of the family’s current teachers, bosses, or jobs
- Picture of the family pet
- Your kid’s weight, height, shoe size, clothing size
- Handprint or Hand tracing
- Self-portrait
- There are a number of clever time capsule printables. I love this “All About Me” from Paper Trail Designs
Choosing Your Time Capsule Container
Before you choose what your time capsule will be, you need to decide where you will be storing it. I am keeping ours inside in a guest room closet so our time capsule does not have to withstand the elements. That is why I chose to use this glass lemonade bottle for our time capsule.
Some other time capsule containers could be:
- Coffee can
- Shoe Box
- Tupperware
- Ziploc Freezer Bag
- Manilla Envelope
- Mailer Box
- Reusable Amazon gift bag
Once the time capsule is full, it is time to seal it and make a note to put on it saying “Do Not Open Until 2/29/2024”. Then find a good place to store the box for four years. Try to put it someplace out of sight to not be to tempted to open it too soon but not so well hidden you forget where it is. Like I said, I plan on storing our time capsule on the top shelf of our guest room closet. In four years, it will be so interesting to open the bottle and see how much the kids (and dog) have changed.
This Leap Year’s Time Capsule is an easy and fun project that can be done in a single afternoon. The kids and I had a blast making ours and it will be even more fun opening it next February 29. Do you do anything to celebrate Leap Year? Let me know in the comments below.
