Explore the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Then select an important person from history, your community, or your personal life and design a monument celebrating their life and achievements. Build a model of your monument using cardboard or other materials.
maker playground
monument construction | all ages
explore
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a central figure in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s and still inspires us to fight for racial justice to this day. In 2011, a memorial was dedicated to Dr. King in our nation’s capital. This tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. sits on the National Mall, among the United State’s most iconic monuments celebrating the founders of our nation and other important people throughout our history.
Hear from Lonnie Bunch, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, about the significance of the monument in American history.
imagine
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired one of the most beautiful monuments in DC.
Using what you’ve learned about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial as inspiration, design your own monument or memorial celebrating an important person in history, your community, or your own life.
What design choices will you make to represent what this person means to you?
What materials will you use to model your design?
Need more inspiration? Try searching the National Parks website or other sources for more of our nation’s monuments and memorials. Who has our country chosen to memorialize, and why? Who is not currently represented that you feel should be?
create
Build a model of your monument design using Tinkercad, a free and online 3D modeling software, or any other materials of your choice.
To get you started working with Tinkercad, check out these helpful skill building videos.
When you’ve got a model of your design, snap a photo and email it to socialmedia@kid-museum.org.
Include the first name and age of the designer along with a description of your design for a chance to be featured on KID Museum’s Instagram!
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