How To Hold On To Lockdown Memories with a Time Capsule

A big thank you to Eco and Ethical Lifestyle Blogger and Freelance Copywriter Becky Pink from PinksCharming for writing about storing memories in our time capsule. You can find Becky’s blog here and follow her on Instagram here.

It’s been a strange year in so many ways, hasn’t it? And whilst a lot of what we’ve all lived through for the past six months has been pretty awful, it’s certainly been memorable! Amidst the fear, loneliness, financial uncertainty, flour and toilet roll shortages, boredom, and school and university-related stress, I think it’s fair to say there have been a few rays of hope and happiness. So I think it’s a good idea to think about these moments of joy, fun and togetherness, whether as a family or as a wider community.

As life goes back to some semblance of normal, I think we may start to forget what we’ve been through. So that’s where Equipp’s Time Capsule comes in. It’s a simple and fun way to hold on to Lockdown memories – whether bad or good – and record this historic time. My children are 9 and 7, so our experience will be very different from teens or toddlers, but equally interesting.

What To Put In A Time Capsule

The beauty of a Time Capsule is that you can put whatever you want in it, as long as it fits. So our Time Capsules will be totally different from yours. Some ideas are photos, postcards, small mementos, homemade jewellery, shells: whatever makes you smile, or reminds you of this time. Equipp’s decorated Time Capsules are made from metal so they’re sturdy and long-lasting, and are the perfect size for stashing away mementos of an eventful year.

Photos Are Perfect for a Time Capsule

I spent some time going through the photos I’ve taken over the past six months and printed a selection as a basis for our Time Capsules. Our photo memories include a doorstep family portrait, photos of our new kitten, and photos of the girls doing the Joe Wicks workout and Zoom Yoga. We also picked a photo of the home school area I set up for them, as they spent a LOT of time there.

We added a few photos of memorable days, like Mother’s Day, VE Day and Easter Sunday. One night ,we toasted marshmallows on a fire-pit and slept in a tent in our garden, so that went in to our Time Capsule too.

There are also some pictures I took of some funny or lovely things we saw on our walks. My favourite was the words “NO PASTA OR TOILET ROLLS STORED IN THIS VAN” written on the back of a van. We also loved some LOVE NHS graffiti, and the reminder that “THIS TOO SHALL PASS” that was painted on some board.

Mementos for a Time Capsule

We tried to be creative over Lockdown, so we decided to add mementos or photos of the things we made to our Time Capsule. Thea spent ages adapting an old adult-sized dress to make her own dress. We did some great online art classes for kids, and have put our favourites in, including Frida Kahlo and a monkey.

We made sun prints too, with special blue light-sensitive paper, and gathered elderflowers to make cordial. Our Time Capsule also includes a pompom. The girls spent ages making them (only for most of them to be destroyed by our kitten…) We put in some of their school work and a flower crown which we made for May Day. Finally we have some shells and pebbles from our little staycation in Kent.

Won’t it be amazing to unpack these tins in 20 or 30 years, and talk about what we did and how we lived during this time? Putting our Time Capsules together has been a really fun activity for us, and the perfect way to mark the end of the summer holidays.