Open Forum

Hi there! 

We are currently inquiring about the optimal group sizes for museum experience(s).

The Edelman Fossil Park is a one-of-a-kind former marl mine in South Jersey where guests can come and dig for 65 million year old fossils that they get to keep. We are nearing the end of schematic design for our $67 million Fossil Park and Museum, anticipated open Spring 2023. The museum will overlook the quarry and tell the remarkable story of the fossils that have been excavated right there at the site and along the east coast. 

We are currently discussing orientation experiences and timing. We will need one for the museum and one for the quarry/digging experiences. 

What group size does your museum host for a school trip? Museum tour? Workshop? 

Any and all input is appreciated! 

Thanks!
Alison 

PS - Currently we can hold ~250 people in the quarry at a time and host groups of all sizes.


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Alison Moyer, PhD
Education Coordinator
Jean & Ric Edelman Fossil Park
Glassboro NJ
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First let me say your park/museum sounds awesome and 10-year-old me really wants to visit now.

For guided tours we do very small groups (5-10 children per 1 docent) and can accommodate up to 100 children per hour-long tour (so for 100 children we would need 10-13 docents). That is more of limit on available volunteers than anything else. 

Our workshop space can accommodate 30 children (workshops also an hour) and have 2 museum educators facilitating. 

For self-guided trips we don't have "limits" (our museum is spacious and can accommodate thousands of visitors in one day) but the larger the group, the more likely we are to run into hiccups (certain areas are more attractive to youth visitors and can get quite crowded). I would say it is pretty easy to orient and welcome about 50 children at once. More than that and it helps to have something like an auditorium where you can focus their attention on a presentation. We really try to gather school groups together right before they start a self-guided visit and give them the basic rules, some suggestions for enjoying our galleries, and give the chaperones lanyards so we can identify them in a pinch. 

Hope that helps - 
Amanda

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Amanda Kepner
Senior Manager for Institutional Processes
Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus OH
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------Original Message------

First let me say your park/museum sounds awesome and 10-year-old me really wants to visit now.

For guided tours we do very small groups (5-10 children per 1 docent) and can accommodate up to 100 children per hour-long tour (so for 100 children we would need 10-13 docents). That is more of limit on available volunteers than anything else. 

Our workshop space can accommodate 30 children (workshops also an hour) and have 2 museum educators facilitating. 

For self-guided trips we don't have "limits" (our museum is spacious and can accommodate thousands of visitors in one day) but the larger the group, the more likely we are to run into hiccups (certain areas are more attractive to youth visitors and can get quite crowded). I would say it is pretty easy to orient and welcome about 50 children at once. More than that and it helps to have something like an auditorium where you can focus their attention on a presentation. We really try to gather school groups together right before they start a self-guided visit and give them the basic rules, some suggestions for enjoying our galleries, and give the chaperones lanyards so we can identify them in a pinch. 

Hope that helps - 
Amanda

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Amanda Kepner
Senior Manager for Institutional Processes
Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus OH
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