How to create a time capsule with your children
For many of us, spending more time at home has the wonderful benefit of more time spent together as a family. Without the usual frenetic rush to sport, activities and playdates that propel us through the week, we’re looking to simpler ways of spending our days.
For LUMIRA founder and creative director Almira Armstrong – who’s living with her husband Luke and young children on the NSW Central Coast – this means following the hobbies and interests of her son Riaz, 7, and daughter Alia, 5.
“We love exploring the area on our daily walks, finding lots of baby crabs, fish and feeding the ducks,” she says. “When we’re at home, Alia loves playing with her ‘babies’ and helping me bake treats for the family to enjoy. Riaz is enjoying reading, playing Mario Kart and absolutely anything to do with dinosaurs.”
As a family, they’ve also been building a time capsule as a way to hold onto the memories of this time. “We’re living through something so unprecedented, and although my children are still young, I hope that they will remember this time for the rest of their lives. Our time capsule project is not only a fun way for us to pass the days, it also gives us a chance to make memories together and to check in on how we’re feeling each day. We plan to open it in 10 years, when the kids are teenagers, to remind us all of what we experienced.”
Some of the activities that Riaz and Alia have added to their time capsule include…
- A journal of their days. “I’m encouraging them to write a couple of lines at the end of each day, reflecting on both the best and most challenging moments.”
- Photos and drawings of their ‘new normal’ life. “We love to document the discoveries we make on our walks.”
- Recording a list of special dates that have happened during isolation. “So far, we’ve celebrated Alia’s birthday and mine and Luke’s wedding anniversary. Although they’ve been quite unusual without all of our family and friends around, we’ve found new ways to celebrate these special times.”
- Future hope and dreams. “This is such a strange time and children pick up on that, too. We like to remind them that life won’t be like this forever and to encourage them to dream of the future. We love to travel as a family, so that is high on everyone’s ‘dream’ list at the moment!”
