Author:  Dawn Schurman 

Great idea for the first day of school:

1) Give each student an empty Pringles can to decorate as a "Time
   Capsule." 

2) Each child will fill out a short interest inventory:
          a handwriting sample, a tracing of their hand, 
          a self-portrait, and a few other things. 
          (You can get creative here -- make the task fit your 
          grade level) 

3) They will place their sheets into their time capsule and have a 
little ceremony to put them away until the end of the year.

     (I'm planning to cheat and open the time capsules that night 
     in order to learn a little more about each student's interests 
     and abilities)  

4) At the end of the year have the kids complete the same sheets 
   and then open their time capsule to compare how they have changed 
   during the school year.


TEACHER'S NOTE:

Unfortunately (and amusingly),  I came up with this idea after throwing
away a bunch of empty Pringles cans that had been sitting around for a
while.  Now I have to eat 25 cans of Pringles by the beginning of the
school year!  Serves me right for throwing them out!  I've got 
everyone I know eating Pringles for me...


You can use whatever is handy for storage capsules -- Be creative