Hear Us! The Children’s Time Capsule Project
A Historic, City-Wide Project Preserving the Voices, Dreams, and Creativity of Philadelphia’s Children for 2076
Honoring Philadelphia’s Children During the 2026 Semiquincentennial
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse is launching Hear Us! The Children’s Time Capsule—a historic, city-wide initiative that will preserve the voices, artwork, and dreams of Philadelphia’s children. Contributions gathered in 2026 will be sealed and stored until 2076, when today’s children can return with future generations to reopen the capsule and celebrate connection, community, and imagination.
Interested in making a submission to the Children's Time Capsule?
FAQs About the Time Capsule
What will be included in the Time Capsule?
The Time Capsule will include drawings, letters, messages, and other paper submissions. Submissions will capture thoughts, hopes, dreams, and experiences from 2026 for future generations to discover.
Who can participate? Can parents, teachers, or adults submit something on behalf of a child? Can schools, camps, or community groups participate?
Anyone can participate in making the Time Capsule! Children, parents, teachers, families, and adults are all encouraged to submit something to share with future generations. Schools, camps, community groups, and other organizations are also welcome to participate.
How can I submit something to the Time Capsule?
Time Capsule papers are available to download and complete online. Once completed, submissions can be emailed to timecapsule@smithplayground.org. Click here to download the time capsule paper.
Is there a deadline to submit something?
We encourage you to submit your work by November 7, 2026, when the Time Capsule will be sealed. If possible, please send your submission by the end of October or the first week of November to allow time for processing.
When will the Time Capsule be sealed? When will the Time Capsule be opened?
The Time Capsule will be sealed on November 7, 2026, and will be opened in 2076.
Can more than one item be submitted?
Yes! Participants may submit more than one item to the Time Capsule.
Where will the Time Capsule be stored?
The Time Capsule sealing ceremony will take place at Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse. After the ceremony, the Time Capsule will be stored in the Temple Archives until it is opened in 2076.
Why This Project Matters
As civic institutions prepare to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, very few initiatives intentionally elevate children’s voices. Hear Us! ensures that Philadelphia’s young people—especially those least represented in historical narratives—are seen, celebrated, and remembered.
Project Overview
The Hear Us! Time Capsule will gather letters, artwork, and stories from children across Philadelphia throughout 2026. Using specially marked Time Capsule Stations located at Smith, local libraries, recreation centers, and schools, children will be invited to capture their hopes, dreams, and experiences.
All submissions will be sealed during a public Sealing & Burial Ceremony on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The Time Capsule will be reopened fifty years later, in 2076, during America’s 300th Anniversary celebration.
Each child who participates will receive a keepsake that reads:
“I contributed to Hear Us! The Children’s Time Capsule in 2026 — I’ll be back in 2076!”
Media Coverage
Hear Us! The Children’s Time Capsule has been featured by local news outlets. Explore the latest coverage of this project.
Summers@Smith campers visited the Clef Club to create a Time Capsule audio recording.
The FOX 29 team captured Summers@Smith campers participating in a special Time Capsule recording at the Clef Club.
Smith Executive Director Frances Hoover joined The Midday Breakroom on WURD Radio to discuss the Time Capsule project and what inspired it.
PhillyVoice Article | April 8, 2026
Read more about the Children’s Time Capsule project in PhillyVoice.
See campers creating artwork imagining what their lives might look like in 50 years, along with an interview with Frances Hoover.
Smith campers visited the Martin Luther King Senior Center for an intergenerational day of games and connection.
Philly Voice Article | August 5, 2025
PhillyVoice featured Smith’s Children’s Time Capsule project and the collaboration between campers and seniors.
Sponsor The Children's Time Capsule
Sponsors of Hear Us! The Children’s Time Capsule will play an essential role in preserving the voices of today’s children for the next generation, while receiving meaningful visibility throughout Philadelphia during the celebratory year of major public events and community engagement for America’s Semiquincentennial.
Sponsors
