Education
Information for Educators
Special entrance fees for groups
- All groups, including pre-schools, crèches, playgroups and groups visiting the Museum for lessons, pay a minimal entrance fee of R1,00 per learner (pre-school to Grade 12) and R3,00 per adult (educators, other adults accompanying groups, tertiary learners and adults in groups of 10 or more).
- No additional fee is charged for guided tours or lessons.
Guided tours and own tours
- Groups are requested to book in advance (Tel. +27 51 4479609). The number of groups allowed in the Museum at any one time will be regulated, and groups that have booked will be given preference.
- Guided tours are not offered to pre-school groups, crèches and playgroups, but these groups must also book a time slot.
- If you can no longer visit the Museum, please cancel so that another group can be given your time slot.
- If you are unavoidably delayed and will arrive late, please let us know.
- A limited number of groups will be allowed to tour the Museum at a time. This will also depend on the number of learners in a group. Therefore, when booking, please be reasonably accurate about the number of learners in the group.
- To relieve the pressure usually experienced on Thursdays and Fridays, we request those groups for whom it is possible, to schedule their visits for earlier in the week.
- No guided tours or lessons are normally available on weekends or public holidays days, but groups may do their own tour through the Museum.
Museum lessons
- If booking for lessons at the Museum, please book in advance and make individual arrangements with the Museum’s Education Department staff (Tel. +27 51 447 9609) and ask for the Education Department (Tebogo, Sandra, Andries or Ancilia). Lessons will be scheduled to suit each individual group.
- Please arrive on time, or let us know if you have problems that are likely to delay your arrival. We will still try to fit you in, if at all possible.
- Lessons are offered from Mondays to Thursdays. There will be no lessons on Fridays.
- Preferably, do not book for more than two lessons per visit, since each lesson takes at least 1 hour (and sometimes longer). If you also wish to walk through the Museum before or after your lesson, please inform us of this when you book and organise your time accordingly.
- Please note that groups visiting for lessons pay only the minimal entrance fee to the Museum.
The responsibilities of educators during a visit
- The Museum is a place for both education and recreation. We expect learners to be excited and to discuss with their friends what they are seeing, but shouting, running and playing games in the Museum are not allowed. Learners should not do anything that could spoil the enjoyment of other visitors or endanger themselves, other visitors or the displays. Educators must ensure that learners behave appropriately.
- Learners should be encouraged to be quiet and only to speak to each other very softly. Noise disrupts other tour groups and disturbs lessons which may be in progress in the lesson venues. Educators are also requested to try to speak quietly when directing the learners or explaining things to them, so as not to disturb other groups.
- Educators are responsible for the behaviour of learners and are expected to supervise and control the learners at all times during a visit to the Museum. Educators are expected to attend the lessons or guided tours together with the learners and to assist the guide/presenters in controlling the group.
- When learners use the Museum toilets, the educators are responsible to see that the learners leave the toilets clean and tidy.
- Any educator (or learner) entering the Museum under the influence of alcohol will be asked to leave immediately and will risk being reported to the appropriate education authorities.
- Groups that have to wait, for any reason whatsoever, are requested to wait on the lawns in front of the Museum and to take care not to block the pathway to the Museum’s entrance. If the weather is bad, groups may be allowed to wait in the foyer/entrance hall. It remains the educator’s responsibility to ensure that the group waits quietly and that learners do not get in the way of other people passing through the foyer/entrance hall.
How to get the most out of a museum visit
- Prepare the learners beforehand, telling them why they are going to the Museum, what to look out for and how to behave.
- Accompany the learners through the exhibits and, if doing your own tour, (quietly) point out and discuss objects of interest with the learners.
- Encourage the learners through your own interest and enthusiasm.
- Encourage the learners to treat their guide/presenter, as well as other museum visitors, with respect.
- Take the opportunity to teach the learners polite and correct procedures by formally thanking the guide/presenter on behalf of the learners, or better still, getting a learner to tender formal thanks on behalf of his/her classmates – the guides/presenters will greatly appreciate this. A “thank you” to the staff at Reception would also be gratefully received.
- Afterwards, back at school, do follow-up activities to ensure that the learners gain from the visit and remember what they learnt.
Please help us to make your museum visit an enjoyable and educational experience for everyone.
Contact us with any queries or suggestions:
Hours
Monday-Friday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday and Public Holidays:
12:00pm – 5:00pm
Closed on Good Friday & Christmas Day
Contact Us
+27 51 447 9609
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