Time Capsule - Create a memento of the year with a time capsule. Ask each child to bring in a plastic bottle. Have them draw a picture of themselves and put it in the bottle. Let them write or dictate what they want to be when they grow up and illustrate it. Challenge them to collect a wrapper from their favorite food, something their favorite color, friends' signatures, and other small, meaningful objects to add to their bottles. After gluing on the lid and decorating the outside, send the bottles home with a note to the parents asking them to save the bottles until their child graduates from high school.

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"Fun-Shine" Can - Have each child bring in a Pringles can or similar can with a lid. Let them decorate the outside with construction paper and pictures. Brainstorm fun things they can do in the summer, such as read a book, call a friend, write a letter, play a board game, say a rhyme, cook something, make a paper bag puppet, bounce a ball, sing a song, play dress up, make up a dance, draw a picture, and so forth. Fold pieces of paper into eighths. Write one of the children's ideas in each section. (It would be good if they had 3 or 4 pages of ideas.) Run off copies for each child then let them cut the strips apart and put them in their can. Tell them when they get bored on their summer vacation, they can pull a strip from the can for a "fun-shine" idea!

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