Sensory Friendly Mornings

Quiet Mornings at Tellus is an exclusive event for individuals with different sensory processing skills and their families to have a fun, enjoyable and interactive learning experience in a comfortable and accepting environment. Lighting is normalized, and our various monitors are not turned on. This sensory-friendly event will offer a conscious effort to eliminate extra stimuli. These exclusive mornings include:

• Less crowded environment
• Reduced wait times
• Less extreme light and sound reduction
• Designated “Quiet Spaces” located at the back of the theater and in the orientation theater (no movie will be playing during this time period)
• Name tags with contact information for children
• Additional directional signage
• FREE planetarium experience, which will have an open-door policy while showing looping videos of beautiful space images accompanied by soft classical music in an ambient light environment.

We provide a supportive environment for individuals, caregivers, and families to have the best experience possible.

• Specialists will be on-hand ready to answer your questions about the museum.
• We will have a map and social story guide to help plan your visit.
• Hand dryers will be turned off throughout the Museum and paper towels will be offered
• Housekeeping and landscaping will delay loud tasks, i.e.; vacuuming, mowing, etc. during this time
• Additional directional signage will be placed throughout the Museum

The following equipment is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be checked out from the front desk:

• Weighted lap pads
• Sunglasses for overstimulating lights
• Noise reduction earmuffs for overstimulating sounds
• Wheelchairs and walking aids
• Waterproof aprons and gloves for the gem panning and fossil dig area

Download a copy of Tellus Science Museum Social Story Guide to help you and your child familiarize yourself with the Museum and its exhibits before you visit. Written from a child’s perspective, the guide can be helpful in planning which exhibits to visit and in which order. Quite Mornings at Tellus is a wonderful opportunity for parents of children with special needs to connect with other families!

The museum will open to the public at 10 AM, but you are welcome to continue your visit beyond 10 AM.

Safety is first at Tellus. For this special time, our security staff, who will be dressed in light blue shirts and khaki pants, will be posted at the front door to assure that children do not enter or leave the building without an adult. Only individuals and families who have registered will be admitted during this allotted time. Tellus Science Museum staff are trained to look for and reunite lost children with their family as quickly as possible. Our educational staff members and volunteers are easy to identify in their khaki vests. If a child becomes separated from their family and is found by a staff member, they will be brought to the Front Desk. If a parent becomes separated from a child, they should alert a staff member who will notify security immediately. Tellus has procedures in place to send information out to individuals staffing the museum to look for lost children.

If you would like to plan a visit during regular operating hours, we offer these suggestions:

• If you are looking for a quieter time to visit, consider visiting Monday through Friday after 1:30 PM during the school year.
• During the summer and on weekends, early mornings are often a slightly quieter experience.
• If your child has trouble with transitions, consider visiting toward the end of the day.
• Several announcements are made in each area of the Museum by our security staff prior to our 5 PM closing to encourage visitors to make their way to the front of the museum for departure. Tellus rarely makes announcements over an intercom system, except in Gem Panning and Fossil Dig on extremely busy days and during emergency situations, i.e. inclement weather.
• Anytime during your visit to Tellus, if you need a place to take a break, please ask a staff member or security for access to the “Quiet Space” at the back of our theater. This room has been designed to provide a soothing environment for your visit.
• Plan your visit by picking up a map at the Front Desk upon arrival at the Museum. The Tellus Science Museum Social Story Guide has been created to help you and your child familiarize yourself with the Museum and its exhibits before your visit. Written from a child’s perspective, the guide can be helpful in planning which exhibits to visit and in which order.

For more information, contact:
Director of Education David Dundee
davidd@tellusmuseum.org
(770) 606-5700 ext 420