Hello and welcome to my blog! Are you looking for some fun New Year homeschool activities for kids? Today, on my blog, I will show you all how to create a hidden time capsule- all while showing you how my children and I set goals for each new school year. My Happy Hawks Homeschool crew and I would love for you to join along in the fun.
New Year Homeschool Activities for Kids:
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 to mark the start of another new year. (Note: these ideas are also perfect for marking a new school year- see my “First week of homeschooling” post here).
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!
~New Year Homeschool Activity #1: Creating a 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.
~Incorporating Ideas to Create New Year Homeschool Activities:
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 New Year homeschool activity or 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.)
~Time Capsule Activity: How to Antique 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!
~How to Make a Tea Bath for the Time Capsule Paper~
~How to Make the Time Capsule Paper Look Aged~
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.
~Time Capsule Activity: Adding the 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.
~Time Capsule Activity: Burying the Capsule~
Now, it was time to burry our time capsule. A quick trip to the back yard allowed us to locate the perfect spot to conceal our time capsule. Any place in a backyard will do. However, be sure to bury the time capsule in a memorable place as one day your children may want to revisit the space. We chose a plot that has a notable landmark beside it to help us locate our time capsule in the future. (A tree, a large rock- something that is likely to remain years into the future.)
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.
~New Year Homeschool Activity for Kids #2: Setting Goals
Now that we have finished our first New Year homeschool activity for kids- let us move on to our second activity: setting goals.
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.
~How to Add a Wax Seal to Homeschool Goals~
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:
~How to Find the Perfect Treasure Box to Store Our New Year Goals~
Obviously, this step is optional… but for a thrift sore loving mom- this step as a must. My 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? How about new school year traditions? Let me know in the comments as I would love to hear.
Also, for more homeschool lesson plan ideas- why not check out my homemade playdough recipe, my feeding the birds post, my homemade granola bar cooking lesson, or my guide on a homeschool education.
~Final Thoughts Until Next Time~
That brings us to the end of my New Year Homeschool activities for kid’s post. If you are a homeschool educator or a parent, I hope you take the time to create your own time capsule and goals for the new year. I would love to hear ways your family mark the new year/new school year in the comments.
Also, be sure to tune into my Facebook and Pinterest pages for more ideas and inspirations. Or check out my post on exploring the Charlotte Mason method by creating a fun aquarium outdoors!
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 here.
I hope to see you all again soon! Until next time.
~Elizabeth~