Iowa Public Television

Iowa Public Television invites you to create a legacy and continue your community service project for years to come as well as inspire others to carry on the project you began. Creating a time capsule can be an excellent way to reflect on the successes and challenges of your service learning project. It is also an effective tool in creating a legacy for others to continue.

Here are some suggestions for creating your own Community Service Time Capsule:

1. Collect photos, mementos, journal entries, artifacts, press clippings, testimonials, reflections, etc.
2. Place these items in your time capsule.
3. "Bury" your time capsule.
4. "Dig up" the time capsule in one year.
5. Investigate the contents of the time capsule and become inspired to continue the legacy.

The time capsule "vessel" can be as varied as your community service project, but here are some suggestions:

1. Place the collected items in a plastic milk carton, plastic bowl, or box to be buried on school grounds. The next year’s class digs up the capsule at the beginning of the year. They investigate the contents, discuss the project and plan for the continuation of the project. This is a great time to modify the project or even expand or improve upon the previous class’s project.
2. Modify idea #2 by "burying" the capsule in the classroom (e.g., in a cupboard, desk, etc.), or in the school building (e.g., office, trophy cabinet, media center, etc.).
3. If you are cyber-savvy, create your time capsule on the Web. Post your digital photos, journal entries, testimonials, etc. on your class or school Web site. You may choose to use HyperStudio or PowerPoint.

Here are some additional ideas to help create a legacy:

1. Create a "Caring Tree".
1. Ask each student to trace and cut out his/her handprint on a piece of construction paper.
2. Draw pictures, paste photos, and/or write journal entries about their community service project on the handprint, including how/why they would like the legacy of the project to continue (e.g., What did I learn about myself and about my community by volunteering? Why is it important for kids to volunteer? How do I plan to continue the project?).
3. Create a "tree trunk," with branches, using butcher paper and post on a wall. The students tape their finished handprints, representing leaves, to the branches of the tree.
4. The tree can be placed in the hallway at school and serve as inspiration for other students to get involved. You may choose to leave the tree posted until the following school year. At the start of the next school year, your new class of students can pluck a "leaf" /hand print and gain inspiration from the former student’s reflections.
5. The students who are leaving your class to go on to the next grade may wish to create a " Service Seed." The seed can again be created using construction paper. The "seed" might be used to record their thoughts/reflections, as on the hand print leaf. They may take the "seed" with them and be encouraged to "plant" it and watch their project grow in a new place/grade/school.
2. Create a "Legacy Banner."
1. Ask students to draw pictures and/or journal about their volunteer experience, including how/why they would like the legacy of the project to continue (e.g., What did I learn about myself and about my community by volunteering? Why is it important for kids to volunteer? How do I plan to continue the project?).
2. Post the banner to encourage others to volunteer in their own way or to continue this project’s legacy.
3. Work with the music teacher to write a collaborative song or rap expressing the importance of volunteerism and its continued legacy.
4. Create a video documenting the community service project. Learn more about creating videos by logging on to the ZOOM Iowa Web site at www.iptv.org/zoom
5. Build a "Wall of Service"
1. Provide each child with a construction paper "brick."
2. Each student journals/reflects on his/her service learning experience (e.g., What did I learn about myself and about my community by volunteering? Why is it important for kids to volunteer? How do I plan to continue the project?).
3. Tape each brick to the wall creating the "Wall of Service".
4. You may choose to leave the "wall" posted until the next school year. Your new class of students can each remove a "brick" and gain inspiration from the former student’s reflections.