Guidelines for Chaperones

Welcome to the Science History Institute! We are looking forward to hosting your group and sharing the stories of science in our collections.

Here are some guidelines to help make the most of your time in the gallery and protect the long-term health of our artifacts.

• We ask that you plan to have 1 chaperone for every 8-10 students. If you are a large group and have been asked to stagger your tour start times, please divide students into groups in advance of your arrival.

• Food and drinks are not allowed in our gallery spaces, as it risks attracting pests or causing water damage to our artifacts.

• Photography is allowed in the galleries, without flash.

• The historic artifacts on display in our galleries may not be touched. Students may handle the scavenger hunt activities (including pencils and clipboards), the yellow, 3D-printed objects on the interactive touch-table at the center of our main gallery, or the toys and books in the carpeted kids’ area. If you have a question about what’s touchable, ask us!
  
  
• Museum staff may arrange a handling collection activity by advance request, or as part of a “Highlights” Tour + Activity learning experience.

• The software running on our interactive touch-table can be sensitive and may crash with rough handling (such as rapidly tapping or dragging). Please guide students to safe handling if you notice this behavior.

• We ask that you escort students to the restrooms, and when entering the Hach Gallery (located in the back of the museum, through the glass doors).

• Museum visitors are not permitted in our conference spaces, including the Ullyot Meeting Hall (opposite the museum) or the second-floor reception area.

• There are two elevators in the lobby to access the second-floor gallery. Further down the hallway you will find water fountains, a water bottle filling station, a coat check, and the restrooms. An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) is available in the lobby, and staff have first aid kits at the desks. If your group has any further accessibility needs, please let us know.

Above all, your guidance will help us provide a fun and educational environment for your students! We are happy to answer questions, make recommendations, and hand out prizes for our gallery activity sheets. Please encourage your students to interact with our staff, our collections, and each other in thoughtful, respectful ways. We hope you will all enjoy your visit to the Science History Institute!