Guidelines for School Groups

Please note that violation of any guideline can result in the immediate termination of your booking.

Your booking will not be confirmed until you have filled out a form confirming that you have read the guildelines and are aware that violation of the guidelines will result in the immediate terminate of your booking.

Adult Supervision Requirements:

A ratio of 1 adult supervisor for every 5 children/youths is required. One adult supervisor is required for every ten students aged 13 to 15 years and one adult supervisor is required for every fifteen students aged 16 to 18 years. Please divide your group into smaller sub-groups each with an adult supervisor.

Supervisors are in charge of the behaviour of their groups. They must ensure that members of their groups are following guidelines at all times. Children are not allowed to be out of the sight lines of their supervisor.

Supervisors are in charge of making sure that their group conducts themselves in a safe manner in all tours that require groups to walk in downtown Lacombe.

Group Size

As we operate out of heritage buildings with limited space groups need to be smaller than 12. If you are booking a Half-Day or Full-Day tour you must have three sub-groups determined prior to arrival at the museum for the tour portion of your visit.

Structure of Your Tour

If you are booking a Half-Day or Full-Day tour, during the Heritage Building portion of your tour the interpreter at each building will let a group know when it is time to rotate. Do not leave the first location until the interpreter has told the group that it is time. Supervisors that choose to leave a building early cannot enter the next building before the interpreter lets the previous group leave.

All programs begin at the Michener House Museum unless otherwise specified.

Tardiness

If your group is late to a booking we are unable to add more time to the end of your booking to make up lost time. The interpreters will start when you arrive and end the booking at the scheduled time.

Museum Visitor Guidelines:

• Why we ask you not to touch. Works of art and artifacts are fragile. The slightest touch can harm them. When we touch something we leave behind fingerprints. Fingerprints contain oils and acids that eat away at surfaces. The touch of one fingerprint may not seem like much, but it can cause a lot of damage.
• Backpacks and large bags can cause damage to art and artifacts in museums. They are also a security risk. We ask you to consider leaving bags at school or on the bus if they are not necessary for your visit. Otherwise, your interpreter will allow you to store bags in the Michener House Museum office.
• In instances where it is muddy or wet outside please be advised that you may be asked to remove outdoor footwear before entering the Michener House Museum. In this instance shoes can be neatly lined up on the porch of the house.
• Please remember that the Blacksmith Shop Museum is a working blacksmith shop with an operating forge and machinery. Visitors are not permitted to stand inside of the barriers.
• Food and drinks are not allowed in the museums. No gum, please. Groups may carry water with them in containers that must remain closed while inside of the heritage buildings.
• Please walk in the museum, especially when using the stairs.
• Respect each other, your tours guides and other visitors in the museum.
• Take caution when entering and exiting the museums. Heritage buildings often have raised thresholds, narrow doorways, and tighter spaces.
• Please use quiet, indoor voices.
• Listen to the Lacombe & District Historical Society Staff – they are here to make your visit enjoyable, educational and fun! They are very helpful if you are lost, have a question or if you forget one of the rules listed above.

Please note: only the Michener House Museum and Flatiron Building have publically available washrooms. We recommend taking large groups to the Lacombe Memorial Centre before and after the booking to use the public washrooms.