Explore architecture of Greek and Mayan cultures at DuPage Children’s Museum

DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM) is bringing the scale, beauty, and engineering of Greek and Mayan architecture to the Chicago region with the opening of its newest exhibit, Monumental, on Saturday, November 16. Located on the first floor of the Museum in the  Creativity Connections Neighborhood, the new exhibit will remain at the Museum for more than six months before being offered as a traveling exhibit to other Museums and institutions.

Monumental offers a unique introduction to the science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematical principles of architecture. Through interactive components and specially designed public programs, children can explore building styles, construction techniques, common decorative elements, and the cultural attributes of Greek and Mayan monuments, while exploring fundamental principles that helped shape modern day architecture.

INVESTIGATE Epic Feats of Engineering

• Mini Monuments (small-scale building): Construct your very own small-scale monument, such as the Acropolis, using building blocks and stones.
• Monumental Messages (large-scale building): Recreate the famous pyramids at Chichen Itza with foam blocks depicting Mayan hieroglyphs.

EXPLORE Colossal Cultures of the Past

• Dress the Part (dramatic play): Bring historical attributes of the Greek and Mayan culture to life with costumes and props for exciting opportunities in dramatic play.
• Set in Stone (interactive friezes): Use interactive technology to place yourself among mythological icons of ancient times. Using touchpads, you can superimpose your face onto the body and attributes of a famous mythological being, such as Athena, Poseidon, or Apollo.

DISCOVER Magnificent Masterpieces

• Colorful Past (interactive art): Bring ancient pyramids, structures, and monuments to life with color by creating digital paintings using interactive touchscreens.
• Step It Up (scale and proportion): Explore concepts of scale and proportion by comparing your own foot to that of a six-foot replica of Athena’s foot. Imagine how massive this structure would have been at the Parthenon.