We’re making a fun time travel craft inspired by the Time Machine book. Also, look at this post 11 Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers for more ideas.
Time travel has long been the topic of science fiction stories.
Authors like HG Wells imagine a world where we can cross time and space, going into the past as well as the future.
The Time Machine is a science fiction work written by HG Wells and was published in 1895.
Inspired by H.G. Wells’s book The Time Machine we created a craft that let us imagine a taste of time travel.
While time travel may still not be possible for us in this day and age, what we can do is create a time capsule that will give our future selves, or someone else, a glimpse into who we were in present times.
They can be a wonderful way to preserve and showcase your personal or family memories for future self or future generations.
There are so many options for what can go into your time capsule.
It can be made up completely of things that you love as well as things that represent the period like music, books, TV, shows, pop trends, etc.
I have a list of ideas for you below to help you decide what to put inside.
Science Fiction Books for Middle School Kids
Next, I have more science fiction books for middle school kids.
11 Science Fiction Books for Middle School
Your kids will love reading one or two of these science fiction books or them to add to your unit study.
This newer addition to sci-fi is an absolute delight and is part of a series of 3 books following robot Roz as she navigates her accidental life on a wild remote island. We adored this first selection as a read-aloud.
So begins The War of the Worlds, the science fiction classic that first proposed the possibility of intelligent life on other planets and has enthralled readers for generations. This compelling tale describes the Martian invasion of earth. When huge, tireless creatures land in England, complete chaos erupts. Using their fiery heat rays and crushing strength, the aliens just may succeed in silencing all opposition. Is life on earth doomed? Will mankind survive? A timeless view of a universe turned upside down, The War of the Worlds is an ingenious and imaginative look into the possibilities of the future and the secrets yet to be revealed.
This is probably one of the best book versions of Star Wars ( in the opinion of a teen fan) but it is not based on familiar characters in the Star Wars universe rather it is a new storyline and new characters in familiar locations. This is a stand-alone story with no sequels as of now
It’s an ordinary Thursday morning for Arthur Dent . . . until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly after to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and Arthur’s best friend has just announced that he’s an alien.After that, things get much, much worse.With just a towel, a small yellow fish, and a book, Arthur has to navigate through a very hostile universe in the company of a gang of unreliable aliens. Luckily the fish is quite good at languages. And the book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . which helpfully has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large, friendly letters on its cover.Douglas Adams’s mega-selling pop-culture classic sends logic into orbit, plays havoc with both time and physics, offers up pithy commentary on such things as ballpoint pens, potted plants, and digital watches . . . and, most important, reveals the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Embark on an extraordinary time-travel adventure with H.G. Wells. Explore fascinating future worlds and dystopian societies. Witness the implications of human evolution and societal decay. Engage with thought-provoking questions about the nature of humanity. Experience the brilliance of H.G. Wells’ visionary storytelling.
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. After two hundred years the great lamps that lights the city are beginning to flicker, and two friends fight together to save the city in this first of 4 in the series. It is listed as recommended for grades 3-7 but it really is an enjoyable story for even older grades.
This part 1 of a 3-part series has stunning visual imagery and impossible situations like life on the red planet, when even that is threatened the few humans left must travel to yet another home on a distant star unlocking mysteries about time and space,
This is the first of Orson Scott Card's Cards Ender's Saga, to date there are 5 novels and one novella in the Ender series based on the government breeding child geniuses and training them as soldiers against alien attack.
Even if They have already seen the movies I highly recommend assigning your middle schooler this series. It gives a lot of material for discussions of moral choices, allegiance to your government at all costs, friendships, how a future like this could come to be, and more
Similar to Hunger Games this is the first in a 4 part series of a dystopian world where everyone is split up into 5 factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) splitting families and friends and pitting them against one another.
If you have a teen who loves gaming and the 80s along with science fiction they are really going to enjoy this one that is set in 204 but filled with pop culture references from that totally awesome decade
25 Things to Put in Your Time Capsule
- A letter- addressed to your future self or whoever finds it.
- Photographs- selfies and favorite photos of you, your house, family, and pets.
- Newspaper- A front page of the current date is a good choice.
- Grocery ads- To show how much grocery items cost at the time.
- Favorite toys, current favorite things from the time like LEGO, mini surprise toys, video games, etc…Fast food kids meal toys, unopened.
- Coins dated from the current year.
- Ticket stubs from current movies, concerts, and events.
- Dried flowers from a bouquet or your yard.
- Seashells and sand from a beach trip with a label of when/where.
- Cleaned packages from your favorite snacks.
- A lock of your hair.
- Short notes of advice from every family member.
- A copy of your favorite book with a note inside.
- Your favorite t-shirt.
- Key to the house.
- A family recipe
- Magazines
- Your favorite poem.
- Copy of your report card.
- Takeout menus from local restaurants.
- Hand or footprints
- A video recording of yourself/family.
- Technology cards, chargers, power banks, flash drives, etc… to show what tech was like in your time.
- Local souvenirs from your area.
- A bucket list of things you want to accomplish in the years that you have set your time capsule for if you are putting it away for your future self.
5 More Cool Time Travel Crafts and Activities
- Here is an idea for a Time Traveller’s Journal done in steampunk style which just screams time traveler to me.
- If you want to go crazy you can get an old refrigerator box and turn it into a time machine with your kids.
- Another popular time travel book is Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, and these Cootie Catchers are a really fun activity to go along with it.
- Watch the History of Time Travel on Prime Video, a fictional documentary about the world’s first-time travel machine and the impact it has on real-world events.
- Of course, we can’t forget one of the most popular time travelers, Doctor Who, craft these scarf bookmarks to keep your spot in your favorite time travel books.
Putting Together a Time Capsule
The first thing you want to do is determine how long you want to keep your time capsule before opening. How long-term are you willing to go? 5 years? 10? 20? 50?
Where will you put it? Are you going to bury it in the backyard or just hide it in a box or the back of the closet?
Now what are you going to put in your time capsule? There are so many options.
A time capsule can be made up completely of things that you love as well as things that represent the period like music, books, TV, shows, pop trends, etc. I have a list of ideas for you below to help you decide what to put inside.
If you would rather use something sturdier to bury your time capsule and not worry about the elements here are a couple of ready-to-go options.
You will need:
- An Airtight container
- Letter and number stickers
- Themed stickers
- Tissue paper
- Masking or packing tape
- Your chosen items
Clean and dry your chosen vessel. I used this large pickle jar that we had on hand, I wouldn’t trust it to be suitable for varying in the backyard but it’s great for putting in a hope chest or in the back of the closet.
How to Put Together a Time Capsule Craft
Add the current year to your time capsule with letter stickers, you can also add the goal year of when it should be opened if you like.
You can use other fun stickers to decorate the outside of your time capsule either with a futuristic theme or just a fun mix to fit your personality.
Pre-fit all your items in the container to make sure they will fit with a little space.
We are using tissue paper to hide it all because if we paint the jar inside or out it will scratch off. You can cover it in contact paper on the outside if you prefer.
Once you know everything fits, wrap it all carefully in tissue paper and slide it back into the jar.
Replacing the lid and securing it with duct tape or packing tape works well to secure the lid to help deter little eyes from peaking too soon.
Now all that is left to do is hide your time machine on the back of a shelf or deep in a chest in the attic.
