Message in a Bottle

Time

Read & Write

4 3 2 1 Early-Mid Stages

Benefits

What you need

Glass bottles (or jam jars will do) in a variety of unusual shapes, if possible
Pens
Thick paper (as will last longer)
Stories of message in a bottle (discover some at www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/message-in-a-bottle-8-striking-stories-of-letters-sent-to-sea)

Intro

The thought of finding a message in a bottle is as intriguing as it is romantic. It’s incredible that this isn’t just fiction and that people have found bottles washed ashore from years gone by – like the castaways of a shipwreck on a South Pacific Island in 1794. Messages from the shipmates were found some 150 years later and the mystery of their whereabouts was solved

Why not write a message and place in a bottle? It would be wonderful for someone to find it in the future – or just do it for fun and share the contents some weeks or months later. Fill it with stories of your life, words of wisdom, or maybe just a poem or joke. Let your imagination run wild

This is a great activity to do with just one person, or together in a group as one another’s ideas might be inspiring

The Activity

Find a quiet space
Start by talking about messages in bottles and share stories of real experiences
Encourage a discussion about what the person or people in the group would write on a piece of paper to go in a bottle – it’s a good idea to chat about this first before writing anything down
Give each person a pen and paper, and invite them to write their message – it can be as long or as short as they like
If a person is struggling to write, just ask what they want to say and write it for them
Ask them to choose a bottle or jar to put their message in
Roll the message up, put it inside and pop the lid on
Place the message in a bottle (or jar) and somewhere where it’s hard to find – like the cupboard, bottom drawer or shed
Wait to see if someone finds it – or dig it out yourself sometime in the future and delight in what you’ve written!