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Subject: 
Re: Prolific Upcoming Weekend!
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains.org
Date: 
Mon, 9 Dec 2002 21:37:22 GMT
Viewed: 
1026 times
  
In lugnet.trains.org, Frank Filz writes:
Mike Walsh wrote:

"Ted Michon" <ted@michon.com> wrote in message news:H6toDM.C7@lugnet.com...
In lugnet.trains.org, Steven Barile writes:


[ ... snipped ... ]


One angry party this weekend wanted to know why we (LEGO, she assumed) put
plastic barriers around the display to keep her kids from playing with the
bricks. She thought it was a very poor thing for TLC to (entice people to
come and then keep them out).


[ ... snipped ... ]

This is a good reason to have a play area.  You keep the hands off your
layout but still let people touch bricks.  Play areas can be a lot of work
but I really like having them.  Some of the creations that kids come up with
are really pretty cool.

At OMSI, PNLTC has the play area right in front of the layout which
works well. It makes it easier to keep an eye on the play area (about
the only thing I ever did was ask the kids to share a little better). We
also tried a kid controlled loop for a while, but the invitation to
interract with the layout resulted in a lot more reaching (and several
resulting derailments). I'd like to try it again with a higher barrier.

One thing which was annoying was the helpful parents who brought a chair
over for their kids to stand on so they could reach over the barrier...
I dragged two or three chairs back behind the ropes.

I don't mind some touching, or a helpful parent re-railing a derailed
train, but the kids who start going wild are definitely a problem,
fortunately that doesn't happen too often.

We had some complaints about the no touch at the mall where we couldn't
have a play area due to liability concerns. We just had to explain that
we just couldn't do it for liability concerns.

I'm not quite sure why people expect their kids to be able to play with
the LEGO display, yet I can't think of a time when I've heard a similar
complaint about other displays (but then I haven't manned a traditional
model railroad at a show before). I think any kid old enough to be a
hazzard to the layout is old enough to understand that some things are
just for looking.

The beauty of course with LEGO is we don't have to be paranoid about
touching, which leaves me pretty relaxed when people reach over to point
at things.

Frank

I'e been to a few larger layouts (HO and O scale) that are permanently
housed in buildings in the greater Southern Ontario area.  Since most of
these are strict "Club Only" layouts, there are no barriers.  THe exception
for most of these clubs is the bi-yearly open house (advertised) which
charges admission per person.

I show up early in the morning (for I think they're pretty nifty layouts)
and I stay for hours taking pics 'n stuff.

I have seen many parents ignore the warnings posted about not touching the
layouts, and, for example, there's these nice little fences made of fishing
string and balsa wood, simulating the farmers fences running along the rail
line, and, invariably, a parent will be holding onto a child and a child
will want to 'pet the cow' and basically rip out a length of fence.

I'm not even part of the club and that annoys the bejezus out of me, for the
same parent will say 'Oops, I'm sorry', and proceed along the layout and
still let the kid touch things.

Grr!! I say.

But that's just me.

LEGO has the wonderful ability to be put back together if broken (for the
most bit).  It's the good point for our medium of choice :)

Dave K



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Prolific Upcoming Weekend!
 
(...) At OMSI, PNLTC has the play area right in front of the layout which works well. It makes it easier to keep an eye on the play area (about the only thing I ever did was ask the kids to share a little better). We also tried a kid controlled loop (...) (22 years ago, 9-Dec-02, to lugnet.trains.org)

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