I know what you're saying, but it's not that I feel they won't like me, I
just don't think they'll listen. I remember being a kid and being less
inclined to follow a rule that didn't make any sense and that's still true
of me now :) I personally feel that kids are more likely to behave if they
understand why there are rules and that works for me as a tour guide. I'm
short and I have a quiet voice. If I tried to be a tough guy, the kids would
never buy it. So I go with the "I can relate to you" approach and it works
pretty well. However if my boss went with my approach, the kids would never
buy THAT. She's the kind of person you sit down and shut up for :)

Erin

On 5/1/07 12:34 PM, "Candace Perry" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I fear I'm a grouchy old woman.  I think we place way too much emphasis on
> the whys and wherefores, and the fact of the matter is there are rules...not
> everywhere is an interactive fun zone (which incidentally have rules also!).
> Can't we just tell them no?  Does everything have to be clarified?  I
> wonder -- do we feel guilty about having to say no, that they won't like us
> because we say no?
> I am from the sit down and shut up school of parenting...so you can ignore
> me...(I should add that I do have extraordinarily well behaved respectful
> teen boys, so something can be said for that!)
> Candace Perry
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Erin Gerrity
> Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 11:56 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Positive ways to say "Do not touch"?
> 
> 
> I usually ask kids to put their hands in their pockets or hold them behind
> their backs to help remind them not to touch and tell them I know it can be
> hard not to touch but it's really important because... And then I bring up a
> story of something bad that really did happen, for example, a long time ago
> some kids accidentally knocked over a giant mannequin (literally the KY
> Giant Jim Porter) and busted his hands off. It seems that when you bring up
> a specific incident like that, they tend to remember why not to touch. Good
> Luck!
> 
> Erin Gerrity
> Portland Museum
> Louisville, KY
> 
> On 5/1/07 10:48 AM, "Laurel Spencer-Forsythe" <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> 
>> A group of educators working in collaboration with museum staff to develop
>> curriculum materials objected to the negative approach to traditional
> museum
>> rules like "don't touch" and "no running." While it was easy enough to put
> a
>> positive spin on "no running" and turn it into "walk"-- we are having more
>> trouble coming up with a positive way of communicating "don't touch"
> clearly
>> in written form (this is in a PowerPoint presentation that serves as a
> field
>> trip orientation).
>> 
>> One teacher suggested stating the ways that touching damages works of art
>> and artifacts, which is a method I've often seen used effectively, BUT we
>> need a pretty basic directive not an explication of conservation
> theory.....
>> The "museum rules" slide is the last slide after a pretty lengthy
>> presentation (about 80 slides), so the message needs to be brief.
>> 
>> Any great ideas out there you can share?
>> 
>> Thanks!
>> 
>> Laurel Spencer Forsythe
>> Executive Director
>> Ruthmere
>> 302 E. Beardsley Ave.
>> Elkhart, IN 46514
>> (574) 264-0330
>> 
>> www.ruthmere.org
>> 
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