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Date: | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 15:26:39 -0400 |
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ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Parental discretion Required
The real question is not if the story is scary to children but rather what
a parent thinks about the story. Other than the normal conventions and
avoiding illicit and overly graphic material don’t put yourself in the
position of deciding what every child should see or hear. It’s not that
you don’t have a good idea what is appropriate-it’s just that you’ll never
satisfy all the parents who have their own ideas of the same. Perhaps
what you really need is a way to tip the mother off that she should
preview the experience and decide if it is appropriate for her children.
Perhaps you need a reminder that mom needs to screen what her child
watches and does whether it’s your exhibit, Desperate Housewives on TV, or
that odd chat room on the net. The answer to the mom should not be framed
as to whether she is wrong or right about the exhibit’s effect on her
child-the answer should be she has the right to decide and you encourage
her to do so.
I know children who have been scared of Snow White. When I was young, the
movie The Invisible Man scared me. I had a mom complain that the
transparent woman (TAM) in my medical exhibit was pornographic and
disturbing. The Exploratorium is a library of experiences, freely
accessible.
There is quite a bit of literature on the effects of exposure to violence
in video games (Your display doesn’t begin to touch Rainbow Six or Gears
of War for violence)
, TV, and movies on young children.
Informal Science Education Network
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Dear Listserve,
>
>I am writing in the hope that one of you may be able to give me
>information which would
>be helpful in accessing a recent complaint about an exhibit in the
>collection: 'Listen:Making
>Sense of Sound' at the Exploratorium. A mother wrote that our exhibit
>Sonic Storytelling
>"scared her kids". Sonic Storytelling is a radio sound effects exhibit.
>Various radio scripts
>are read while visitors add sound effects. One of the scripts is a film
>noir sort of script
>(campy, in my opinion) about a detective investigating a murder. The
>sound effects include
>doors slamming, phones ringing and a gunshot at the end. I am taking her
>complaint
>seriously but it doesn't seem to me that such an exhibit is inappropriate
>for a place like the
>Exploratorium. Maybe there is some evidence that it is. Do any of you
>have any
>experiences which would inform me? Free free to respond to the listserve,
>or to my email
>at [log in to unmask]
>
>Thomas Humphrey
>Senior Scientist
>The Exploratorium
>
>***********************************************************************
>For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and
>the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
>
>Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at
>www.exhibitfiles.org.
>
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>[log in to unmask]
>
Dr. Mac Sudduth
Coordinator of Science Grants
Premier DeKalb County Schools
Department of Research and Evaluation
3770 N. Decatur Road
Decatur, Georgia 30032-1099
678-676-0675
[log in to unmask]
***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
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