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Hi Martin
We run 'toddler days' on a fairly regular basis - approximately 8 a year.
They are suitable for children under 4 and their parents, although we do
allow other children in with family groups they are few in number and we do
not book schools on that day.  We also allow pre-school groups to book in as
they also have a high ratio of adults to children. We do not charge for the
child and offer the adults a considerable discount to bring our prices in
line with other pre-school activities we also give them a voucher for a free
tea or coffee, which is appreciated by the parents.

The day is essentially no different from a normal public day, but we offer
story times and some craft activities as well as our normal safe,
stimulating environment.

The days have been very popular and numbers of attendees are continuing to
grow.  As a result we are looking to develop the days further and introduce
more activities and would be happy to share ideas and experiences
On another note I did speak to some regular visitors on one of these days -
the child was about 12 and had had reservations about visiting on a 'toddler
day'.  However, they said it was excellent as the older childrens needs were
different and allowed them to do what they wanted without any conflict of
interests.

In terms of other ages we run theme weeks appropriate to the National
Curriculum in set age groups (4-7, 8-11, 12-16 and 16+) throughout the
school period.  Schools are encouraged to book for period suitable to their
age group even if they do not take advantage of the shows which are the
focus of the theme.  In this way we try not to have a group of 5 year olds,
for example, visiting on a day when most groups are 13 years old.  The
system is very well received by teachers ad makes a very positive
environment.  Generally, any problems only occur when schools book in
outside of the theme system.

Jo
-- 
Joanne Pinder
Research Co-ordinator
Techniquest
Stuart Street
Cardiff
UK
CF10 5 BW

Tel: 029 20 475 475 ext 221
Fax: 029 20 482 417
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.techniquest.org

-- 


> From: martin weiss <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Informal Science Education Network
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 10:49:05 -0400
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Separate days for visits by young children
> 
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> A problem we are facing is large numbers of groups of
> children that vary in age and therefore size. When we are crowded the
> younger children seem to suffer. Younger children sometimes get
> squeezed physically and psychologically during these visits despite
> being chaperoned (the older children tend not to be chaperoned
> closely, if at all).
> 
> Does your institution set aside days only for visits by
> groups of younger children?  How many days a week? days a month? How
> have schools, organizations reacted to this? Positively, negatively?
> What is the age distribution of children that you try and have visit
> separately?
> 
> Would you pass this on to colleagues at your institution that
> deal with this issue?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Martin
> -- 
> Martin Weiss, Ph.D
> Vice President, Science
> New York Hall of Science
> 47-01 111 th Street
> Corona, New York 11368
> 718 699 0005 x 356
> 
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