20 January 2009

Preserve a bit of history by making a presidential time capsule

American flag drawingThe campaign, the election, and the inauguration will soon be history -- here's how "the23rdelf" is preserving a bit of it for her son:

I sent the following email to my son's grandparents, aunts, and uncles and asked them to write down a few thoughts about the election:

The Presidential election was historic, no matter who you voted for. My husband and I are putting together a small time capsule for our son with information about this election. Our hope is that when he is of school age, he will have something to help him understand his part in history. It would mean a lot to us to have your input! Over the next few days, please email or mail me a few sentences about where you were when the election was decided, if you voted and how, and what this election means to you.

I plan on filling the time capsule with the responses, my sample ballot (completed with my votes) and my "I voted" sticker. Kind of an old-school version of oral history!

How about adding some newspaper clippings and printed photos of the inaugural events? I'm sure you could find some bumper stickers and campaign paraphernalia as well.

Photo by Davef3138

Related: Teach children about the election by staging a kid-friendly vote

Buy Minimalist Parenting today

If you like Parent Hacks, you'll love Asha's book (with co-author Christine Koh), Minimalist Parenting: Enjoy Modern Family Life More By Doing Less.

Buy it today at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite local bookstore.

Want to get started now? Sign up for MinCamp, our free, 14-day companion workshop. Find out more

Your comments

Love it. I'm all about time capsules and this seems like a perfect use. Can I fit my cheesy sweatshirt in a capsule?

The time capsule idea is an excellent one. I had a double historic moment. My first grandchild, a boy, was born on MLK day. There are so many newsclippings and information that I could put in his time capsule. http://loveorhateyourstepparent.com

We close comments after a month to guard against spam. Want to talk about this hack? Join us on Twitter and Facebook!

 

Get the Book

Free workshop

  • MinCamp is the free companion workshop to Minimalist Parenting. In 14 daily tasks, MinCamp jump-starts your progress toward less clutter in your schedule and home, relaxed mealtimes, and more time for yourself.

    Find out more and sign up now!

Start Amazon shopping here

  • Help support Parent Hacks with the shopping you're already doing!
    Do you buy diapers, gifts, or other items at Amazon? Every time, start your Amazon shopping by clicking this link (or any Amazon link at Parent Hacks).

    No matter what you buy, you'll be throwing some change into our tip jar without any extra steps or cost to you. Thank you!

Featured Posts

Elsewhere

The Accidental Expert

Read about my ONEMoms trip to Ethiopia in October 2012. Then become a member of ONE yourself! ONE will never ask for your money, only your voice. And one voice matters. I've seen it firsthand.