Happy almost New Year to you all! I don’t know about you, but the years seem to go by faster and faster the older I become. Perhaps I become more sentimental with each passing year. Personally, I like to take time to reflect on the blessings of the past year- before the new year begins. For, even in hard seasons-there are silver linings to see.
This year, I wanted to involve the children in some fun New Year activities.
As I was reflecting on ideas, I thought about some of my favorite Christmas memories with the children. I remembered how much the children enjoyed making time capsule Christmas ornaments... and then… an idea sprang to mind. One idea built on the other and before too long-I was ready to share those ideas with my Happy Hawks Homeschool crew.
Naturally, I also wanted to share those simple ideas with my readers (who may homeschool or just those who would like a fun idea to do with their children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews). So won’t you please join me, and my four eager pupils, as we make a bit of history to celebrate the new year. We will be making hidden (buried) time capsules and special sealed goals. (Not to be opened until 2027!)
Come along, you are welcome here!
~The Intrigue of a Hidden Time Capsule~
For as long as I can remember I have always been fascinated by time capsules. I love the idea of finding a hidden message… be it in a bottle, in a treasure chest, or simply nestled in an old book.
My first taste of a time capsule was when I was a young girl. My family made a time capsule- that we put behind a stove in our home. Sometimes I think about this message, has it been found yet? More than likely, I will never know the answer to this question-but it surely is fun to think about.
Many years later, when I was a teacher, I would take turns writing my students little Post It notes of encouragement. From there, my love for writing notes on little bits of paper grew. A few years later, when I was dating my husband, we made a message in a bottle that we released in a river. Again, the question sometimes arises in my mind. Has our hidden message been found?
Another year later, my husband and I were married and the hidden note writing tradition continued on. Together, we made hidden notes and left them inside ancient rock walls. These hidden messages are in the USA, England, and Wales.
One day, we hope to bring our children to uncover these hidden messages.
~A Time Capsule to Bury in the Backyard~
Now that you know the backstory for my love of hidden notes and treasures, I will share with you all how I incorporated this fun idea into a homeschool lesson.
It is worth noting that this lesson can be done any time of the year- not only at the start of a new year. The idea of antiquing white paper can also be easily incorporated into many homeschool lesson plans.
Making a history document, an ancient script, or a Bible scroll all spring to mind.
~Antiquing the Paper~
My romantic spirit loves the idea of finding an ancient time capsule. To mimic this look, my children and I wanted to age our boring, white computer paper.
Firstly, we cut our paper into strips (as our time capsule jar was quite small.) Plus, cutting the paper into strips makes it easier to work with, and less likely to tear.
After cutting our paper strips, we boiled some water in the kettle. We found a sizeable cooking pot to place our tea in. (Note: I have also used a cookie sheet with success).
Secondly, we placed a few tea bags in our pot (2-3). Obviously, the more tea bags, the darker the color that can be achieved. Then, I poured the boiled water over the tea bags- and allowed the tea to steep (for about a minute) before giving it a swift stir.
Thirdly, I carefully added the strips of white paper to the tea bath. I allowed the paper to soak in the tea for 15-30 minutes- based on color preference. Once our desired color was achieved, I placed the tea-dyed sheets of paper on a cooling rack to dry. (I have also used a hair dry to speed up the drying process).
Lastly, we gave our pages a good crumble with our hands. And that was it. Easy peasy!
~The Tea Bath~
~Burning the Edges of Our Time Capsule Paper~
Wanting to make our message look even more aged, inspired me to carefully burn the edges of our tea-stained paper. (Obviously, this was not something I let the children do).
I did this over the sink… just in case I needed to drop the paper if it tried to burn too quickly. Carefully and swiftly, I blew out the flame. (Note: this step is not necessary as the paper does look old without this added step.)
After this, all that was left to do was to write our message and place it in our chosen container. Waterproof is best.
~Adding Our Message~
A time capsule for children does not need to say anything in particular. Only one main thing is necessary: the date. For goodness’ sake…don’t forget the date!
I asked the children what we should write in our message. All four voices chimed in with their thoughts. My oldest added the question about the flying car. We also decided to add a Bible verse and a green plastic jewel (for a bit of fun).
Lastly, we gently rolled our message up and tied a bit of twine to secure it. Nothing fancy- but lots of special moments were included.
From the ordinary, a lovely memory was created.
~Now, to Burry Our Time Capsule~
A quick trip to the back yard allowed us to locate the perfect spot to bury our time capsule.
Who knows, our message may never be found, or it may resurface some fifty years into the future. While we may or may not live to see that day- we made a wonderful memory- and that memory lives on.
~Setting Goals for the New Year~
Setting goals is a productive idea for any aged student. While setting goals is important, recording those goals allows for accountability.
Goal setting is an easy activity for any homeschool grade level. To make this activity a bit more exciting, we decided to write our goals down, decorate our goal page (however we saw fit), and then transform our goal art into sealed envelopes.
Note: You could also have a high school aged student make a sealed goal envelope and give it back to them when they graduate high school.
This is a fun, easy lesson plan idea that can be incorporated into many learning experiences. The only rule is to use your creativity.
~Adding the Wax Seal~
Do you have a wax seal kit? We bought ours from Hobby Lobby and have found it a charming touch to our handmade cards. You may have seen me use a wax seal before when making homemade thank you cards. You can see that post here:
~The Perfect Treasure Box to Store Our Goals~
This vintage, wooden, and lined, floral box is perfect to store treasure of many kinds. I bought this box from a thrift store several months ago. You may have seen it in my Christmas nativity post, or you may remember it from its first debut on my blog in this post.
This time, we are using this special box to house our sealed goal envelopes. And, if the wooden box was not enough, we even added it to the bottom of our locked bookshelf… for extra safe keeping. What can I say…goals are important around here.
~How About You? ~
Many activities can mark the new year. Do you or your family members have any special New Year’s traditions that you incorporate into your life? Let me know in the comments as I would love to hear.
~Until Next Time~
In conclusion, I will leave you with a well wish and an English dish. I hope this year is filled with blessings and love.
Now, as you view the photographs below…hear me out. I know a baguette with beans on it does not sound overly appealing to some (mostly my American readers), but it is actually delicious!
This is our New Year’s Eve morning, English cafe or food truck-inspired, breakfast baguette. The baguette is toasted, buttered, sliced, and then simply filled with fried eggs, beans in tomato sauce (not American baked beans), and of course… bacon.
An easy meal that is worth a try. So don’t let its appearance put you off…for you may be surprised at how much you like it.
Also, be sure to tune into my Facebook and Pinterest pages for more ideas (where I will be sharing past projects from 2025 that have been memorable, lovely, and fun).
Feel free to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any surprise posts… as even I never quite know when the creative bug will bite again.
Finally, this Friday- tune in to the blog to learn about my family’s most recent thrifting adventure. One thrift purchase and one new, unexpected purchase- led me to a new recipe to share with you all.
Until next time.
~Elizabeth~
