Children and families are invited to explore “A Firm Foundation,” a new hands-on exhibit at the Church History Museum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The exhibit highlights both the 19th-century construction and the 21st-century renovation of the Salt Lake Temple, emphasizing the importance of strong physical and spiritual foundations. Each of the Church’s temples is considered a house of the Lord Jesus Christ and the most sacred place of worship on earth.
The exhibit, now open and available until early 2028, was reported about on Thursday, March 19, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
“A Firm Foundation” is designed for children and families, featuring interactive hands-on activities combined with inspiring stories from Church history. Visitors can test their engineering skills at an earthquake table, operate a child-friendly crane and experiment with a variety of building activities.
Organizers hope these elements will help children learn how building a spiritual foundation on Jesus Christ can help them remain resilient during challenging times.
Guests can also watch an animated film about the Salt Lake Temple’s history and take a picture in an ox yoke. Throughout the gallery, children are reminded that while the building is impressive, the most important part of the temple is what happens inside — the sacred work of uniting families for eternity.
The exhibit also features historical artifacts, including the trumpet from the statue of angel Moroni that fell during a March 2020 earthquake as well as a cane that Brigham Young may have used to mark the temple site in 1847.
Kate Zimmerman, who visited the exhibit with her family on March 14, enjoyed making stained glass.
“It makes me excited because I get to see the stained glass and how much time it took for them to do that and how long it took the temple to be built,” she said.
Her mother, Danielle Zimmerman, said her children were intrigued by the earthquake simulator.
“That was cool for them to see how important it is to have a strong foundation,” the mother said. “Within the Church, we’ve learned about having a strong foundation for our whole lives, so I think it was cool for them to see that in action and get to test out how it worked.”
Added her husband, Colby Zimmerman: “It’s always a good reminder to see how much we were able to accomplish so long ago with so little tools or knowledge or resources.”
The Church History Museum, located on the west side of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, is open Monday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free. Learn more at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
