Precious Cargo: How Objects Carry Our Stories
A BOB project that can be tied to social studies/history curriculum, literacy, and learning skills.
What makes an object precious?
Sometimes it’s obvious: a pendant passed down through generations, a photograph of family, or a gift marking a milestone. Other times, it’s something soft and unassuming like a stuffed animal, a blanket, or even a piece of furniture that holds the weight of memory.
Objects carry stories. They are artifacts of our lives. And when we ask students to select, share, and reflect on an object that matters deeply to them, we open a door to their identities, their histories, and the connections that highlight our shared humanity.
From Homework Assignment to Precious Cargo
The Precious Cargo project began as a homework assignment I once came across: “If you had to move to another country, what one object would you take with you?”
It struck me as a powerful entry point into conversations about immigration, identity, and belonging. So I reimagined it as a Building Outside the Blocks (BOB) project—personalizing, student-driven, and community-building. Students choose their object, select their presentation date, and explain not only what they would take, but why. They also bring the object or share a picture of it. It’s like a show-and-tell with a twist.
Over the years, I’ve adapted Precious Cargo into presentations, gallery walks, and even a classroom door decoration. No matter the format, the essence remains the same: each artifact becomes a window into the self and a passageway to others.
Stories Behind the Objects
Each time I run this project, the “cargo” changes, but the impact is always profound.
One student shared a religious pendant and the story of her family’s faith. Another described saving for over a year to buy her own bed, a symbol of independence and pride. Stuffed animals came up again and again- Rainbow Red, Freddy, Jeffrey, Bear, Peanut, Hayley, Katya- companions that offered comfort through surgeries, first days of school, and everyday challenges.
There were bracelets from grandparents, sweatshirts passed down from siblings, photographs and albums full of milestones. One student shares a picture of the dog he had to leave behind when he immigrated. Once, a student chose a phone- not for games, but because it kept him connected to family far away. Another student brought the only picture he had of his father before he passed away.
Every object told a story. Every story revealed something precious.
Artifacts as Portals
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 has a mascot named Fenton, a soft bear who helps children explore immigration stories through the Teddy Bear’s Journey workshop. It’s a perfect reminder that artifacts, whether in a museum or a classroom, are not just “things.” They are vessels for memory, meaning, and imagination.
And for many of our students, these artifacts represent far more than sentimental value. So many families have emigrated to Canada in search of a better life or to escape oppression in their mother countries. Their precious objects hold the weight of that journey: the choices made, the sacrifices endured, and the resilience carried forward.
When my students bring their artifacts, they’re curating a gallery of lived experience. They’re saying: this is who I am, this is what I value, this is what I would hold on to if I had to let everything else go.
Through these artifacts, my students exercise empathy. They begin to understand that behind every object is a human story- sometimes joyful, sometimes painful, always personal.
Why Artifacts Matter in Learning
As educators, we often look for ways to make history come alive or help students see themselves in the curriculum. Artifacts are a bridge.
Artifacts connect to learning about early societies. They open up conversations about immigration and belonging. Beyond the curriculum, artifacts are invitations to see through each other’s eyes, to imagine experiences different from our own, and to recognize the value in each story shared.
Whether it’s a pendant, a photograph, or a beloved bear, each piece of precious cargo carries more than personal memory. It carries identity. It carries resilience. And it carries the power to transform a classroom into a community.
A Reflection for Educators
What Precious Cargo has shown me, again and again, is that objects are never just objects. They are invitations. They can spark empathy, build community, and make abstract ideas tangible.
You don’t have to be teaching Social Studies or History. Whether in a classroom, a workshop, or a community setting, asking people to choose and share an artifact invites them to tell a story that matters to them. It levels the playing field because everyone has something precious, and every story has value.
Artifacts give us a way in. They let us explore history, identity, and belonging not as distant concepts, but as lived realities. They remind us that behind every object is a person, and behind every person is a world of meaning.
So the next time you’re looking for a way to open doors to the past, to each other, and to new perspectives, consider starting with an object. You may be surprised by how much precious cargo it carries.
