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FUN TO DO
LEARNING ABOUT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
BENTON RESIDENCE
History: The Statue of Liberty has welcomed immigrants to New York Harbor since October 28, 1886. It was a gift from France to the people of the United States in honor of the friendship that was established during the American Revolution. French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi had initially planned to have the statue completed and presented to the U.S. on July 4, 1876 to celebrate the Centennial. The tablet in her hand represents knowledge and shows the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which was July 4, 1776. Bartholdi and Gustave Eiffel (structural engineer) completed the statue in Paris in 1884. In order to transport the Statue, it had to be reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates! It took four months for it to be reassembled. President Grover Cleveland unveiled the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators on October 28, 1886.
The Statue has been an inspiration to millions of immigrants and is a universal symbol of freedom, democracy, and diplomacy. The consumers at the Benton Residence visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in preparation for this Fun To Do activity. The consumers decided to make a poster to celebrate their family’s heritage and the symbolism of freedom for their families. The consumers made flags from their family’s countries. Some of their families even came through Ellis Island and have their names on “The American Immigrant Wall of Honor.” They also utilized the famous poem by Emma Lazarus, the “New Colossus Sonnet,” which is inscripted on the base of the Statue of Liberty.
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Cultural Poster
Book of Flags or other reference material for flag research
Photo or picture of the Statue of Liberty
“New Colossus Sonnet,” written by Emma Lazarus
Poster board or oak tag paper
Poster size frame (optional)
Construction Paper
Markers
Scissors
Glue
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Step 1: Take a trip to your local supply store to purchase materials.
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Step 2: Research your family’s country/countries of origin and the flag of each country. The consumers researched their family’s flags using the computer and/or an encyclopedia.
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 Step 3: With your construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers, create your own replica of the one you just found.
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Step 4: Glue the picture or photo of the Statue of Liberty in the middle of your poster. Then around that picture, glue your flag and write your name and your family’s country of origin underneath it. We found that some of our consumers even shared the same country! A good idea would be to do this project with a friend in order to learn more about each other.
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Step 5: Using your marker, write the “New Colossus Sonnet” on your poster board. Feel free to use your creativity when deciding where you want to write the poem. If you would like, once you are happy with the placement, frame and hang the poster at your home. And after you are done, you can enjoy the following fun facts about the Statue of Liberty:
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The Statue’s height from her heel to the top of her head is 111 feet, 6 inches.
Total weight of the Statue is 225 tons!
The Statue has a 35-foot waistline.
The new torch (restored in 1986) is covered with thin sheets of 24 karat gold.
The Statue holds the World Record for being the largest gift.
We hope that you enjoyed learning more about your history, as well as the Statue of Liberty’s!
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