Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have tea with Winston Churchill, debate philosophy with Socrates, or hurtle into the 23rd century to see if flying cars have become a reality? Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day, celebrated annually on December 8, grants you a passport to explore these whimsical adventures. For one glorious day each year, you can defy the constraints of the space-time continuum and embrace the art of make-believe. Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day is where the past, present, and future collide for captivating creativity.
National Today’s website states that Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day originated in the 1990s, but the concept of time travel has fascinated us for centuries, beginning with early references to time travel in literary works. H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine explored the idea of a machine that could transport a person through time and laid the foundation for many time travel concepts that continue to influence science fiction literature, film, and television today.
Time machines might still be a science fiction thing, but Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day allows you to dust off your Victorian attire, polish your futuristic gadgets, and let your imagination run wild. You can be anyone, anywhere, at any time! Let’s explore ideas for a journey that transcends the boundaries of the everyday world.
- Virtual Time Machine Tours – Use virtual reality (VR) headsets or augmented reality (AR) apps to take students on virtual tours of historical landmarks. Explore Discovery Education’s virtual field trips (reviewed here). Students can interact with these environments as if they were time travelers, then create presentations about the tour using Sway (reviewed here).
- Time-Traveler’s Blog or Diaries – Have students create and maintain their own time-traveler’s blog, writing entries documenting their adventures in different periods. They can use Telegra.ph (reviewed here)or social media accounts to share their fictional experiences. Students can include text, images, and multimedia elements to enhance their diaries.
- Time-Traveler’s Interviews – Encourage students to research historical figures or create fictional characters from different eras. Then, have them use Blabberize (reviewed here) to record the person speaking or use Podomatic (reviewed here) to create a podcast with these characters that incorporates historical facts or creative storytelling.
- Time-Traveler’s Multimedia Presentations – Ask students to create multimedia presentations or documentaries on a specific historical event, period, or future scenario using a site like Moovly (reviewed here). Students can also make time travel learning bentos—you can learn more about this instructional strategy by watching this OK2Ask workshop archive.
- Interactive History Games – Host an online time-travel-themed quiz using platforms like Blooket (reviewed here) or one of the sites on Game Builder (reviewed here). Students can create and answer questions about historical events, figures, and time-travel concepts.
While we can’t actually leap through time, we can let our imaginations soar. Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day gives us a reason to put on outfits from days gone by, create tales of adventure in the past and future, and immerse ourselves in the enchanting realm of time-based creativity. Whether you’re a history buff longing for a walk in the shoes of your ancestors or a sci-fi enthusiast dreaming of futuristic escapades, Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day is a fun way to explore different eras in history. How will you celebrate? We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!