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Informal Science Education Network              <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>Ditto here.
>It's often frustrating to be developing a program and have some really cool ideas and then have someone point out the potential "danger" involved. No candles, no balloons, no peanuts or any nuts (or
>just watch out for food in general), no sharp tools..... very distressing.
>
>I was once doing the classic butter-making activity (shaking cream in a jar) and a coworker pointed out that lots of kids have dairy allergies. To which I said "well, the activity is called Making
>BUTTER. I hope the parents would read that and figure out that dairy is involved!" 
>
>While it's of course important for us to be as safe as we can, there comes a point at which the parents/adults need to take some responsibility and I don't know how we can this across without
>angering visitors.
>
>AD


What I can't stand is when *incorrect* information prevents us from doing an activity.  We'd like to shoot off model rockets here, and now that Meigs Field (the former airport just south of our
location) is no longer there, we don't have any flight restrictions around us.  A couple of years ago, we were doing some sort of opening event and wanted to get a local kids rocketry group to come &
demonstrate their award-winning rocket (they placed really well in a national rocketry contest). Someone outside our organization got wind of this and asked city officials if we could shoot off the
rocket.  They said "no" since there is a law in Chicago against fireworks.  We tried and tried to convince them, but to no avail.

I found out recently that the city restriction doesn't cover rocket engines.  The person probably hadn't come across the request previously, and rather than looking into it, they just said "no".  We
could have been doing this program all along, but folks who didn't have the right info prevented us from doing it.  The big problem is that it's just not worth the hassle of using staff time and
effort to convince people that the law is actually on our side.  Well, for now, anyway...maybe I'll take up that mantle someday in the future.

By the way, we don't allow helium balloons on ribbons or strings in our building due to the height of our ceilings.  We've had balloon sculptures before, but no stringed helium balloons.  We do use
balloons for a couple of our demos - no one has complained at all.  We have used fire for a few things - we just make sure we have fire extinguishers and/or a fire blanket very nearby.  I do seem to
fuzzily recall an issue a few years ago about the fire marshall not wanting open flame, but I think that was in regards to candles on tables for private events.  I think the extinguisher & fire
blanket for our demos quelled that.  I also sent a note to the ASTC list-serv about 2 years ago requesting information about people's use of fire extinguishers in demos themselves. Either OSHA or the
fire marshall (don't remember which one) didn't want us to do that since using a fire extinguisher for a demo is against the stated function of a fire extinguisher.  The solution was to paint the
fire extinguisher gray & label it as a "CO2 Container" or something similar to that.

Michelle

Michelle Nichols, Master Educator for Informal Programs
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL  60605
312-322-0520 
312-322-9181 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org

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