It’s Time to Register for Spring Zoo School!»
It’s that time again! Registration for our Spring 2010 Zoo Schools is now open. BASIC and ADVANCED Zoo Schools are being offered in Frisco, Lewisville and Rockwall. All the details and downloadable registration forms are now available online. Register early, as class size is limited and classes fill-up quickly — so don’t delay! Feel free to forward this announcement to your friends and other interested parents or to post it on your community’s newletters and websites. We need a minimum of 20 students for each class to be a "go" — help us to spread the word!
Want to bring Zoo School to your school, homeschool or afterschool community? Go here to learn how to become a Zoo School site coordinator. Questions about Zoo School? Contact us and we’ll be happy to assist you with more information.
The Science of Crowd Control»
If you’re planning to host a special speaker for your school, library or community event, and you’d like a large audience turn-out, then simply invite an animal show (or the Ringling Brothers’ clowns!). These popular performers will bring in the BIG audience head count you need to impress your superiors and city officials, but they also bring another BIG potential problem: crowd control. After years of being on the receiving end of swarms of excited fans, we’ve picked-up some wisdom from the best event planners in the business.
Planning for a Crowd
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The most important number to know when planning for a crowd is the maximum fire code room capacity. This is not just an arbitrary figure for you to double or triple as needed, this is the number you must restrict yourself to in audience planning. No joke — we once had fire engines arrive screaming at a library when a disgruntled father, whose tike couldn’t see well in the crowd, got irritated enough by overcrowding that he dialed 911 in protest! This didn’t bode well for the librarian’s future. And, packing in more than the max number is just plain dangerous should an emergency occur. If you can predict potential crowd size, and they won’t all fit into your space, we suggest you:
- offer multiple show times, or
- move to a larger venue, or
- limit your crowd size (keep reading for the how-to’s)
Managing the Numbers
Here are some successful ways other event planners have managed or limited the size of their crowds:
- count the heads as they enter — first come, first seated — turn-away the overflow or offer them the next show [be warned that this method can result in agitated folks, probably not the smoothest approach to customer service]
- require pre-registration or advance ticket distribution — when they’re gone, they’re gone [be aware that this approach requires LOTS of pre-publicity and you'll need to be ready to turn-away those at the door who hadn't read the fine print]
- restrict daycare groups – limit their numbers with advance reservations or don’t allow daycares to attend at all [they're always looking for free entertainment, but is this really your primary audience?]
- restrict the age of the audience — for example, limiting the audience to schoolers (ages 6 years and older) will greatly reduce the number of infants, noisy toddlers, and noisier parents
- restrict the audience to children ONLY – that’s right, "no adults" – and advertise a strict set of audience age limits [OK, we know this makes you cringe, but we know of LOTS of schools and libraries who have successfully weaned their parents from needing to sit with their kids at shows, it can take a couple of years and a few confrontations, but it CAN be done -- call us and we'll put you in touch with those with experience]
Controlling the Audience
The crowd shouldn’t control you, YOU should control the crowd. Here’re some proven tricks of the trade to help you control the masses:
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- keep your audience in a holding area – seat them just 5 minutes before show time, the performer will love you forever and the audience volume will stay much lower
- mark the seating areas — if on-the-floor seating, mark the audience areas with blue painter’s tape to show them the boundaries [no mess to remove]
- use staff or volunteers — position them around the room to guide the audience to the seating areas and to enforce the boundaries during the show
- restrict strollers — ban strollers all together or require them to be kept at the back of the room [they take way too much space and are an exit hazard in case of emergency]
- require parents with infants or toddlers to sit nearest the exit doors – announce that noisy youngsters must immediately be taken out of the show area [be prepared to enforce this during show time, as we've had many mothers stubbornly refuse to leave, which ruins the show for the rest of your audience]
- provide a quality microphone/speaker system – set the volume loud enough to maintain the audience’s attention over light chatter
- introduce the performer — announce whatever house rules you and your performer have agreed upon, such as the use of cell phones or video recorders
- instruct your audience how to exit the show area – position staff or volunteers to keep the crowd moving-on out
- provide a private and safe entrance and exit route for your performer – especially when they’re lugging props or animal crates [nothing worse than getting swarmed with your arms full]
- exude confidence and professionalism at all times — be polite, but firm, if challenged — crowds will usually behave according to your expectations, IF you make your expectations perfectly clear
Hot Tip: Animal Masks Discounted ‘Til Christmas»
We thought we’d pass a hot tip on to our teachers, librarians, party planning parents or those folks just looking for a cute holiday present for a young animal-loving child. Lakeshore Learning has their "Washable Dress-Up Masks," an adorable set of 8 cloth animal masks, discounted through December 24, 2009 — $14.99 for the set of 8 masks, instead of the usual $24.95 price tag. Great for kids ages 3 to 6 years old. You can pick them up at your local Lakeshore Learning Store or online — just click here or search for item # XS224. Be sure to send us other cute animal-themed tips — and we’ll pass it on!
Our Favorite Nature Escapes: Beavers Bend Park»
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We may regret the increase in crowds, but we thought we’d share some of our favorite nature escape locations within driving distance of Dallas-Fort Worth, starting with Beavers Bend Resort Park in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. This place is the perfect Autumn get-away — crisp air, fall colors, and crunchy leaves beneath your feet. Peak fall colors are the 3rd week in October through mid-November. If you’re looking for a simple, no-nonsense place to walk in the woods, drift in a kayak, fish for trout, or just sit and listen to the breeze through the trees, then this is the spot.
A mere 4-hour drive from DFW will take you deep into the Ouachita National Forest of southeastern Oklahoma and into the tiny town of Broken Bow. .jpg)
Now, don’t expect much here — that’s the point. The town has little to offer other than a few family restaurants and a gas station. But, follow the signs for the state-run Beavers Bend Resort Park and you’ll discover a hidden gem of nature — the 14,000-acre Lake Broken Bow, the Mountain Fork River whose sandy beaches offer great canoe picnic spots, 16 miles of hiking trails 
and 4 miles of mountain bike trails that wander along ridge tops, over creek bottoms, through tall stands of timber, and into areas so remote you can almost experience what early-day explorers must have felt. There’s even a tiny nature center and museum. Native wildlife includes deer, turkey, rabbit, bobcat, coyote and raccoon. Bald eagles likes to winter on the river, so keep your cameras handy.
Lodging is easy. The park offers a choice of a The Lakeview Lodge, cabins, or RV/tent camping. There’s also lots of neighboring cabin rentals and lodging available off the park premises. Be sure to book early, as more DFW families are discovering this place. There are little to no dining options at the park (except for one general store cafe), so be sure to pack your ice-chest filled with easy breakfast fare and lunches for picnics. Dinner in town is simple and kid-friendly and won’t break the bank.
This quiet retreat offers a lazy weekend for the nature-lover or miles of natural playground for the kids — either way, you’ll sleep soundly after a long day exploring what Beavers Bend has to offer.
Vote for Zooniversity for “Best of the Metroplex”»
Wow! We are so grateful. Your effort and loyalty earned Zooniversity THREE big nominations in the Best of the Metroplex Family Choice Awards!
"Best Party Entertainer"
"Best Themed Party"
"Best Animal Encounter"
Now comes the hard part –
WE NEED YOUR VOTES TO WIN
Go to the Best of the Metroplex and vote!
The competition is tough — so if you’ve enjoyed Zooniversity’s wildlife education services, please take just a moment to let others know about us, too. Only one vote per person and you must live in the DFW area for your vote to count. Voting ends November 30th, so don’t delay!
Please ‘Share This’ with your family and friends. Public recognition of what we do will help us to further improve our exotic animal rescue and educational services. It’s your support that keeps us setting the standard in wildlife education!
