Creative Dad CompanyCreative Dad Company
EngineeringHistory

Thermal Time Capsule

Log in to save
Grades 6-845 min setup plus a 2 hour check-inSource: Creative Dad Company

Teams engineer an insulated box to keep an ice cube frozen as long as possible, then write a field journal entry in the voice of a 19th century ice harvester who solved the same problem before refrigerators existed.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

  • Kitchen scaleBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • graph paperBorrow or school hasuse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

$51.56 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups). Exceeds $25 per class.

Classroom cardboard or boxes can lower the cost.

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

  • zip-top bagsRequired1 x 120 bags120 bags$7.66Amazon
  • cups for meltwaterRequired1 x 100 cups100 cups$5.96Amazon
  • foilRequired1 x 1 roll / 75 sq ft1 roll / 75 sq ft$5.97Amazon
  • foamRequired1 x 10 sheets10 sheets$6.99Amazon
  • newspaperRequired1 x 50 sheets (1.5 lb)50 sheets (1.5 lb)$8.99Amazon
  • extra shoebox for the controlRequired1 x 6 boxes6 boxes$15.99Amazon

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$51.56 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

Choose your version

Every level teaches the same core idea — pick the one that fits your time, budget, and energy today.

Student time: 30 min, one class periodTeacher prep / build-ahead: 15 min$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.One table or a clear section of floorBeginner-friendly

Setup

Print or hand-copy the essential prompt for Thermal Time Capsule, then set out only paper, pencils, and the common or recycled items needed for one test. Use a tabletop representation whenever the original version mentions a room, specialized device, or digital tool; the learning comes from the decisions and evidence, not elaborate scenery.

Activity

  1. Predict which materials will slow down melting best and why, before choosing an insulation strategy.
  2. Line the shoebox with insulating layers, seal an ice cube inside a bag at the center, and note the starting temperature.
  3. Check the ice every 30 minutes for two hours, recording how much has melted and comparing results between teams.
  4. Research how people preserved ice before electric refrigeration, such as insulated icehouses packed with sawdust, then write a short journal entry as if you were a 19th century ice harvester describing the day's work.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

Done when: The group has completed Thermal Time Capsule when it can research how people preserved ice before electric refrigeration, such as insulated icehouses packed with sawdust, then write a short journal entry as if you were a 19th century ice harvester describing the day's work and point to the observation, measurement, comparison, or trial that supports its conclusion.

Materials

Shoebox, aluminum foil, cotton balls, plastic wrap, ice cubes, small thermometer, plastic bags; Kitchen scale; zip-top bags; cups for meltwater; foam; newspaper; extra shoebox for the control; graph paper

Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Steps

  1. Mini-lesson and prediction: thermal energy moves from warmer to cooler by conduction, convection, and radiation. Predict which materials will slow melting best and explain why using these principles.
  2. Set a goal (at least 70 percent of the ice mass left after 2 hours) and constraints (one shoebox, materials only from the supply table). Sketch and label a design, explaining how each layer reduces conduction, convection, or radiation.
  3. Weigh a bagged ice cube, build the box, and run it next to an uninsulated control box holding an ice cube of the same mass. Every 30 minutes for 2 hours, pour off meltwater and weigh the remaining ice. Record in a table.
  4. Graph percent ice remaining over time for your box and the control, and compare with other teams' designs to see which principles worked best.
  5. Identify where heat got in, change one feature (seal gaps, add a reflective layer, thicken insulation), retest with the same ice mass beside a control, and compare the graphs.
  6. Research how people preserved ice before electric refrigeration, such as icehouses packed with sawdust, explain which heat transfer principles they used, and write a short journal entry as a 19th century ice harvester.

Standards mapped

  • NGSS · MS-PS3-3

    Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.*