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Hello all,
 
        Our planetarium staff is looking to present a session at ASTC in
2006.  Some of us have been to ASTC, but none of our department have
presented before.  The session would be about specific programs that bring
new audiences to your museums - people who don't normally visit.  It could
be an underserved audience - economically or culturally or a group who
doesn't often come to tour exhibits - senior citizens, young couples -
whoever it might be in your area.  I think it would be a panel presentation,
unless someone thinks another format would work better.
 
    The program we want to talk about has been called Starry Nights and
Little Eyes on the Skies.  The idea is that in the last five years our
regular planetarium audience has been getting younger and younger so that
most daily programs we run are for kids under 10 or 12.  There are still
people in the community, adults and families with multiple children of
different ages, who want more advanced planetarium content.  They want to
know about NASA programs and hear and see more detail than is included in
our typical matinee shows.  For this reason, we started our evening
astronomy series.  Some family members might attend our "regular" programs
while others have outgrown those offerings.  Other adults without children
only come to the museum for these evening astronomy programs.
 
    We try to do an evening program once a month for this audience.  Each
night has a theme such as Mars, the Moon, or the Winter Solstice.  The
programs combine a planetarium show, live planetarium presentation, craft
activity (for the younger children who come), light snack, and telescope
observation.  We don't have a permanent observatory building, so we drag out
our telescopes to the courtyard and set them up for the night.  Each night
lasts from 7 or 8PM to 10 or 11PM.  Special events like meteor showers or
eclipses have to be timed with the events - 2AM, 4AM, whenever.  For some
events we've had speakers or special displays.
 
    I think we've come up with a successful formula for these events and
want to share it.  If you also have an unusual program that meets the needs
of a group you don't always see, we want to present with you.  Reply to me
off-list and we'll work it out.

Kristie M. Mazzoni

Assistant Planetarium Director

Science Center of Connecticut

 

 

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