If your family plans to stay in your home for years to come, it may be a fun idea to make a time capsule…
If you haven’t seen one before, a time capsule is a sealed container filled with objects and notes from today, hidden away to be opened years later. Example: a metal tube holding family photos, a newspaper front page, and letters to future selves—buried this fall, opened, let’s say… in 2035.
Here’s how to make one and some ideas of what your family can contribute.
Buy or make one
You can buy a purpose-built, waterproof stainless-steel capsule online (look for gasket seals and desiccant packs). Or DIY: use a new, paint-sealed ammo can or food-grade plastic bucket with a rubber-gasket lid. Double-bag contents in zip pouches, add silica gel, and label everything with dates.
What to put inside
- A family photo and a selfie on a USB drive (plus a printed copy)
- Handwritten letters and “predictions”
- A list of prices (gas, milk, movie tickets)
- Kids’ artwork or report cards
- A small local map and today’s headlines
- A favorite recipe and a pressed leaf
- One tiny, durable trinket per person
How and where to bury it
Pick high, well-drained ground away from tree roots, sprinklers, utility lines, and fenced property lines. Choose a memorable spot you control (backyard corner, beneath a stepping stone). Dig a hole 18–24 inches deep and wider than the container. Lay 2–3 inches of gravel for drainage, place the sealed capsule, backfill firmly, and cap with a paver or flat stone. Record GPS coordinates, make a simple site sketch, and set an “open date.” For apartments: store in a dry interior closet or give to a trusted relative’s yard.
Pro tip: Tell exactly two people where it is—and write it down. No one wants a yard full of holes.
