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Liberty first-graders bury time capsule
By Sarah Lehr
liberty
In three years, Kiera Thigpen will be 10 years old. The first-grader at E.J. Blott Elementary School says she can’t even imagine what her life will be like then.
“It’s far away,” she said with a shrug.
Fifteen students in Katie Bengala’s first-grade class took the time to ponder their future selves Thursday when they buried a time capsule to be reopened in 2018.
Lauran Ferguson, a Youngstown State University student who is assisting Bengala’s class, developed the time capsule project as part of a curricular unit on past, present and future.
For first-graders, time can be a tricky concept.
“At six years of life, the idea of something happening 20 years ago or 20 years in the future may seem crazy to you,” Bengala said. “I tell them that I was around when people starting getting the first microwaves and they can’t believe that.”
Many students chose beloved toys to bury. Kiera, a lover of music, buried a small plastic pan pipe. Another student selected a puck from a winning hockey game. Ferguson was surprised that students chose such cherished items to bury, even after she explained that the objects would be sealed in the ground for several years.
She did remind them that perishable items and live animals wouldn’t work.
“I made sure to clarify, you can’t bury a Ho Ho or a hamster,” said Ferguson, who will return for the capsule’s unearthing in 2018.
Township Trustee Jodi Stoyak, who spoke to the class last week about her job, joined the children as they gathered round for the burial in the school’s courtyard. Many students squealed about the worms, prompting a boy to exclaim, “That’s nature!”
Students included short write-ups along with the objects, and Bengala believes they’ll get a kick out of how much their writing will improve. Elementary school is a period of rapid academic, social and physical development, she said, meaning that three years truly is a long time.
“In September, the other teachers and I look at each other because we can’t believe how young 6-year-olds are,” Bengala said. “Even between the first day of first grade and the last day of first grade there are huge changes in ability.”
Nadia Charles, 6, buried a plush cat. She’ll be 9 when it’s uncovered. In response to a question about what she’ll be like at 9, Nadia took some time to think about it and then responded with one word.
“Happy,” she said.