Thinktank 2017
A leaders meeting will be held at Trefoil House in June in order for leaders to ask any questions and be able to hold their own parents meeting if they wish too.
Friday 15th September- Saturday 16th September 2017
Cost will include admission to museum and all activities, breakfast and a badge.
Girls will remain the responsibility of their own leaders at all times and socially acceptable behaviour will be expected at all times but particularly during the periods of lights out (11pm-7am)
Places available
180 participating girls maximum
Thinktank 2017
Timings:
Arrival at Thinktank 5.45pm meet on ground floor (G2) level) group entrance
Entry into Thinktank 6pm (parents will not be able to enter the museum)
Collect from Thinktank 9am (ground floor (G2) level) group entrance)
Please try not to allow any late arrivals or early departures as the museum is on lock down and we need security to arrange entry/exit
Forms:
Each unit to submit its own REN form (copy enclosed)to commissioner, a signed form must be returned to the county office by Friday 8th September in order for a unit to participate. The Organiser details are Emma James, membership number 907339
It is your responsibility to ensure any DBS checks required are completed.
Each unit to send out and hold consent and health forms for its own girls (copies enclosed please adapt as necessary)
Please can each unit arrange its own home contact.
Emergency contact forms (enclosed) to be brought on day and handed in on arrival.
Payment:
Girls are £32 and Leaders with in ratio are free i.e. book for upto6 girls 1 leader £10 book for up to 12 girls 2 leaders £20 book for up to 18 girls 3 leaders £30- extra leaders welcome but are£32 each
Any other under 18's are £32 i.e. guide helpers, young leaders –they do not count as a child for your place allocation but do count for your overnight ratiosand may not be able to take part in all activities
Numbers and payment by Friday 30thJune - one cheque per unit preferably - made to The Guide Association Birmingham. All bookings are non-refundable
Food:
Girls and leaders to bring packed tea (squash, tea and coffee will be provided)
Breakfast will be provided - cereal bar, yoghurt, carton of fruit juice and piece of fruit – please inform of any significant dietary issues on booking.
First aid:
Fully equipped first aid room.
Please can each unit identify a first aider and bring their own first aid kit including any items you may require such as child’s paracetamol please include on your health form
Risk assessment:
Copy will be sent to all leaders in advance, please complete your own based on this for any individual needs of your girls or leaders and return a copy
Activities:
Girls will be in 3 groups
8.30am- shop visit
Kit list:
Girls need to be able to carry their own luggage into and out of Thinktank so an Ikea bag with bedding and a small rucksack with clothing and packed tea are ideal.
Thinktank 2017
Wear brownie uniform and suitable footwear
Bring:
Sleeping bag, blanket and pillow
Sleeping mat
Pyjamas and slippers
Change of underwear
Wash bag- towel, soap and flannel, toothbrush and toothpaste
Packed tea
Water bottle
Teddy
Spending money- optional £5
Thinktank 2017
Sleeping:
We sleep amongst the exhibits; some lighting will remain on all night.
Car parking:
Leaders parking overnight- No contribution to petrol/parking for leaders – if units wish to cover this they can do so themselves. (Costs as of current date)
Thinktank at Millennium Point have an on-site car park operated by a token entry system.
On arrival at the entry barrier off Jennens Road, take a yellow token from the machine. Before leaving the building, validate your token by visiting one of the three pay stations situated at each exit on levels 0, 1 and 2. Cash and cards accepted.
Pay on exit
Number of HoursPrice
1£1.40
2£2.60
3£3.50
4£4.20
6£5.80
Directions:
By Road
Thinktank is situated within Millennium Point and located in Digbeth. A Birmingham City Council multi-storey car park is situated next to Millennium Point (charges apply) and the entrance is situated off Jennens Road.
For google maps and Sat Nav use postcode B4 7AP. Just minutes from Birmingham city centre and The Bullring. The nearest motorways are the M6, M5 and M42.
By Bus
From the City Centre catch numbers 14, 55/55A 90 or 94 from The Priory Queensway (opposite Argos) to Jennens Road.
By Rail
The nearest train station is Moor Street station (10 mins walk away). Turn right upon leaving Moor St Station, just before Hotel Latour, veer right to enter the City Park. Walk through the Park, past the Science Garden and in through the entrance of Millennium Point.
New Street Station (15 mins walk away). Due to the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station, changes have been made to the entrance/exit points. From New Street Station follow clear signage to Moor Street Station (approx. 5 minute walk) then follow directions above.
By Bicycle
Thinktank is situated within Millennium Point and located in Digbeth. For google maps and Sat Nav use postcode B4 7AP. Just minutes from Birmingham city centre and The Bullring.
Bike racks can be found on both the north side, Jennens Road, and south side, Curzon Street.
Information sent out by Thinktank
Introduction
This document provides a brief guide to the sleepovers that Thinktank operates.It will hopefully give you an indication of the service that Thinktank operates and the logistics of such events as well as an example timetable from a previous sleepover.
What?
Sleepovers are all night events that we develop for groups visiting the museum.Combining many aspects of our offer, they are an exciting way of providing learning experiences to all audiences. A sleepover is created as a custom event for you and your audience, and we will work with you to create your perfect night.In the past we have run events for Scouts wanting to complete their Astronomy badge as well as schools wanting to cover the Darwin 200 celebrations, but we can target any learning opportunities that you might wish to exploit.A typical event will include workshops, time within the galleries, a visit to the Planetarium, a science show and a visit to the shop.
When?
We offer sleepovers around the year and will generally programme them around the client’s requests.If there is a particular activity/ event/ celebration that you wish to take part in, we will try and match that.The usual days are Friday and Saturday nights but much of that is tradition; we will always try to accommodate your needs to create a perfect evening.
The typical sleepover starts around 6.00pm in the evening, lights out around midnight and then wakeup call at 7am.We ask groups to be out of the museum for 9.00am to allow us to prepare the museum for the standard 10.00am to 5.00pm working day that will begin shortly after your departure.
Who?
Sleepovers are currently open to single large groups.In order to run a sleepover, we need between 100 and 150 children plus their associated adults (at least one adult for every ten children).If you really cannot find 100 children, we may still be able to help you but there will likely be an extra charge to compensate for the fixed costs of the evening (e.g. security staff).In the same way, if you have more than 150 children, we might be able to help but it is unlikely that all of the children will be able to do all of the activities.Traditionally, groups that have visited us previously have been schools (e.g. entire year groups) and non-school groups such as Scouts.All we ask is for there to be one person with whom we communicate and organise the evening.It will then be up to them to disseminate this throughout their network, if the group is made up from lots of smaller groups.
A number of Thinktank staff are required to make a sleepover happen, but the core staff that you will interact with are the Gallery Enablers and Presenters.They are highly experienced at working with both school and non-school groups within the museum.In general, these staff have CRB disclosures but our Child Protection Policy does not permit us to be left alone with any child at any time.As such we insist on at least one adult per ten children being present all of the time and we allow this ratio to take part in sleepovers for free.After the lights go out, the Thinktank staff will go upstairs to their sleeping area leaving you in yours.During this time a member of the Millennium Point security will remain awake within the museum all night to assistyou if you need them.The security team are fully CRB checked.The Thinktank staff are also contactable by radio throughout the night.
Where?
Sleepovers happen within Thinktank, Birmingham science museum, situated within Millennium Point.Some groups choose to use the cinema as well which is also within the building.Once everyone is safely back inside Thinktank, the museum is secured from access and egress and we hire additional security to stay awake within the museum all night.
The ‘sleeping’ takes place on the museum floor, in amongst the steam engines and other heritage exhibits.We can split genders by floor if you wish.Some of the lighting is emergency lighting that cannot be switched off at all, meaning that some areas are darker than others.We leave the exact sleeping arrangements up to you and your children, depending on how adventurous you are!
Why?
Sleepovers provide an alternative museum experience for everyone involved.Combining a lot of fun with a good dose of learning experiences, we will create a night that will stay with the participants for a very long time.No-one will ever be able to say that museums are boring again!
FAQ’s
What time are Thinktank Sleepovers?
Sleepovers tend to start at 6.00pm in the evening and finish at 9.00am the next morning. The start time is relatively flexible but we do need to finish the event before Thinktank opens for business at 10.00am.
Where do we park?
For groups visiting by coach, there is a coach park available on the North side of Millennium Point (accessible via Jennens Road). Car parking is available within the Millennium Point multi-storey car park (accessible from Jennens Road or Cardigan St). This facility is operated by Birmingham City Council and typically closed between midnight and 6am. This car park charges for entry.
How do we check in?
Thinktank Gallery Enabler staff will be waiting for you within Millennium Point. Unless otherwise arranged, they will be waiting on Level 0 next to the groups’ entrance. Gallery Enablers are easily identifiable by their yellow T-shirts.
What if we arrive late?
You will have contact details for the organisers of the event and we recommend that you keep them up to date with your progress. For security reasons, once a sleepover group is inside Thinktank, no-one can access or leave the museum without a member of staff accompanying them. If you arrive late and the remainder of your group has already gone into the museum, please contact any member of the Millennium Point Security/ Customer Service Team and they will arrange for you to be re-united with your group. Some activities (e.g. visits to the cinema) are time dependant and may have to be forfeited if your delay extends beyond a reasonable amount of time. As much as possible, the Gallery Enablers will attempt to reschedule all activities but we cannot guarantee that external providers (e.g. cinema) will do so. These organisations also reserve the right to charge for forfeited events.
What should we bring?
Everyone must bring a sleeping bag, pillow and sleeping mat. If you wish to bring an inflatable mattress, then you may do so although we do not guarantee being able to provide electrical pumps or power for inflating them so they will need to be inflated by mouth. Other useful items to bring are toiletries, warm clothes (the museum can get cold at night) and possibly a torch.
Is there anything we should NOT bring?
Alcohol, narcotics and weapons are not allowed within Millennium Point or Thinktank as part of sleepovers. In addition, items such as mp3 players, video games and expensive phones are not needed for a single night sleepover and should be left at home. Although the museum will be locked, Thinktank takes no responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen property within the museum.
What happens with catering?
No catering facilities are provided as standard other than water, squash and tea/ coffee (for adults). There are vending machines within the Level 0 café inside Thinktank but they have a limited supply and variety. We recommend that all sleepover groups bring their own food for dinner, breakfast and any snacks. These can be arranged via Thinktank as part of the booking process at an additional charge but experience tells us that packed suppers work best at these events.
Where do we sleep?
All participants will sleep within the museum galleries. Typically we use the two ground floors with the historical exhibits. Within these areas, you are free to sleep anywhere that you wish that is accessible to the public during normal opening hours. Due to the emergency lighting and glass front of the building, some parts of the museum are darker than others throughout the night. There are also certain exhibits within the museum that cannot be switched off at all (although they are not noisy). Please see the maps on the website that recommend different sleeping zones
How much of the museum will be open?
For your sleepover, you will have full access to the entire museum including the Planetarium. LEGO RoboLab and classroom facilities will be available subject to the workshops that are provided for the evening.
How many people can attend a sleepover?
Thinktank sleepovers can fairly accommodate up to 140 people. For larger sleepover events, we cannot guarantee that all participants will be able to take part equally in all activities, but this does not mean that they cannot happen. We also have a minimum number of 100 participants. This is partly to cover the fixed costs of sleepovers (e.g. extra security and cleaning) and partly to ensure that there are enough people within the museum to create the right atmosphere for the event.
What if someone becomes ill during a sleepover?
Notify a member of staff immediately if anyone becomes ill or injured. Our security staff are qualified first aiders.
Can we leave early?
Once inside the museum, the facility is completely locked down – no-one can enter or exit without a member of staff accompanying them. If any participant needs to leave the building or museum at any point, for any reason, they will need to arrange this at the discretion of the staff on the evening. This applies to both during the evening and also in the morning. Any know reasons for exiting the museum should be discussed in advance so that accommodations might be made.
How secure is Thinktank?
Once you enter Thinktank, you will physically not be able to leave again without being accompanied by a member of staff. In addition, throughout the duration of the sleepover, dedicated security staff will be present. Despite this, we do not recommend bringing any valuable items into the museum for the event.
Will the Thinktank shop be open?
Typically, we arrange for the shop to be open from 8.30am on the morning after your sleepover. If you do not wish to visit the shop, this can easily be accommodated during the planning phase of the sleepover.
Where do we change into our sleeping clothes?
Toilet cubicles are available on each floor to provide privacy for changing. These are however limited in number.
How old must an adult be?
To be responsible as an adult during a sleepover, we ask that participants be at least 18 years of age.
How old can children be?
Children can be any age, but we recommend that all participants are roughly the same age. Mixtures of younger and older children often do not work well together in the environment that a sleepover creates.
Can we visit the museum the next day?
The cost of the sleepover only covers the museum entry for the evening itself. All sleepover participants must have left the museum before our 10.00am opening time. If you wish to come back into the museum, you will have to purchase additional tickets.
Sample Timetable- This may not be exactly as indicated but gives an idea of how the event will run
TIME / ACTIVITY / LOCATION / NUMBERS6.00 / Arrive and brief groups in lunch area / Level 1 / All
6.30 to 7.30 / A: Galleries