Barnyard Buddies
Hellaur everyone!
SO we just brought bunnies & hamsters on campus Monday (11/14) lunch for students to destress and play with. We had all students take a seat and placed a critter on their laps, and switched out students small group at a time with the line. So the line was let in in waves of 2-5 people.
We also put out stickers and hand sanitizer at the exit.
Small recap of what went well/what could be improved:
- People were taking the stickers without participating in barnyard buddies. Which is fine (?) because it made people happy
- Last wave of students didn’t have time to sit with the animals, we just let them in to pet for the last 2 minutes
- Maybe having more signs/bunny guinea pig name tags/descriptions for kids to bond more with the critters
- Switching out people was a little hectic
- Volunteers were SUPER helpful
Discussion points:
- Should we have a different more “buffet style” set up? Where students can pet and go? (Suggested by AAH rep)
- Crowd control? Did we let people in too quickly/too slowly?
HAVE A GREAT DAY,
ASB REC
Hi rec!,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all great job doing this event. I know how much of a logistical nightmare events like this can be, and i'm happy things went pretty smooth. I think it would be a really good job to have the "buffet style" setup, since I think it will generally let things flow better when it comes to this type of population size of people who wanna participate in an event. I think the "buffet style" setup would also act as a form of population control in the sense that it incentives people to kind of go wherever they want, which usually makes more space for more people overall.
~peter
hi rec, amazing job with this it was super wholesome and cute and cool. I think the buffet set up could work well, since a lot of people were waiting in line for a while and since this is meant as a sort of stress reliever, shorter or negligible lines could significantly boost the desired effect. however all in all i think it was very nice so great job yall another rec W
ReplyDelete-zayan
hellaur!
ReplyDeletesuper cute event, here's some feedback:
1) i know the "partnership", or "collab" with ASAP was kind a bit of a lol moment but I think by a week before the event, it should be super clear cut on whether its a collab or not. i believe some people were still kinda confused on what the asb event was associated with on the day of --hopefully the communication on this will be better next year LMAO
2) maybe the stickers could have correlated with the actual event so people remember it :)
3) i think the "buffet style" idea would be a pretty cool thing to try, the volunteers would just need to have good crowd control on how many students are touching a single pet at a time
hi rec!
ReplyDeletegreat job with putting on therapy farm/barnyard buddies. i think it was very well received as it reached various student groups on campus, especially those who might not be extremely active in attending events. i liked the location in the quad as it was really visible but not blocking major pathways. rather than completely changing into the buffet style, you guys can explore a mix of that and what you had in this event. did someone end up keeping track of time/have a timer (without an alarm) so switching people out was more standardized? i think designating a volunteer to be time keeper would be helpful.
also, was there a reason why AAH volunteers didn't walk around with guinea pigs/bunnies this time? last year, i think AAH volunteers held bunnies and went to people who were in line. students got to pet the animals "buffet style" and that made waiting in line easier. this is something to consider as well!
overall, you guys did amazing with this event!
xx
srah
hi rec!
ReplyDeletethank you for making therapy farm happen! you guys did so amazing controlling the huge line of students and everyone who got to pet the animals seemed so happy. i think a buffet style in the future would be nice, just because lots of students were interested in the event, but deterred by the long line, so if they see that the line moves quickly, they might be more interested in participating. great job rec!
- Emma
heyo rec!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a wholesome event that y'all pulled off! Regarding the lines I think that the mentioned buffet-styled line would be much more time efficient. I walked by the area quite a few times to get lunch and the line seemed to be quite long. The buffet styled line would probably speed things up and give students more of a lowkey and relaxed feeling and the long line could also potentially come off as more annoying rather than relaxing for students. This switch could help eliminate the issue of people in the end not getting enough time and also there wouldn't be as big of an issue for switching people out since people would just be going through the area while petting rather than taking a ton of time. go rec!!
- amy
hey rec!
ReplyDeleteim so upset i missed barnyard buddies omg... flu is the worst but i've seen the insta stories and it seems like everyone enjoyed petting the animals a ton.
based on past experience, the lines for this event are usually brutal! a buffet-style line would be quicker, but also then you would have to take into consideration people who won't leave. maybe, if you do end up implementing the pet-and-go type line, you could set a time limit but the students are free to leave before the time is up.
im looking forward to petting puppies in december 😊
<3 kyrsten
hi rec!
ReplyDeletegreat great job with the bunnies! i was able to come to the latter end and it was very slay. like a lot of others are saying, a buffet-style line would be better for future animal events and would likely encourage more students to participate !
love,
ed
Hi rec!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the barnyard buddies event, it made my day so much better to pet little bunnies and guinea pigs and even a chicken! I had so much fun. Some things rec could consider for the future is mixing the buffet style line with the current “Wave” line. This is because if we implement the buffet-style line, people will hang around and not leave. It’s also harder to know if someone has been there for a really long time or if they just got there, so crowd control could be difficult. Personally, I liked the wave method but making the periods shorter would increase line efficiency. Finally, if volunteering is hectic, rec could consider putting this as an ASB volunteer opportunity so there are more hands on deck. Overall, great event rec!
-Chelsea
hi rec!
ReplyDeletesorry if this is a short blogger because i was sick for the actual event and wasn't able to go, but i heard it went well! to answer the first prompt, i think the way that rec does it (judging off my experiences from last year) is better than doing it buffet style. the current method allows for students to spend more time with the animals, and while the buffet style would lead to a faster line, it may also get hectic because it is harder to supervise as well.
great job and looking forward to the next one!!!
-jeff
hello recognition!!
ReplyDeletegreat work on the barnyard buddies event. as a "third person" i think you guys did a great job and it looked very fun. ik we talked about it in class but i think that enforcing the "shift" system is a great idea. whether yall did it or not, it looked like the line was moving relatively fast so good work on that. it seems like the event went smooth and i think if we could maximize the amount of students spending time with the animals, that would be great, but uh yeah good job rec!!
-colin
Hey Rec!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved this event and am really glad that ya'll brought it back this year. I think that the turn based system that we talked about during the outro would be a really good addition for next year as it would make the whole line system go by much smoother. I heard that everyone had a really good time and were super excited for the bunnies!
-Manit
hi rec!!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved barnyard buddies, I was able to hold one of the bunnies and it was just so cute and sweet. I think having name tags would definitely be a really cute idea to implement in the future. As for the timing, I personally thought it was just right, if anything I felt like I had more time than I expected so that was great! Maybe an idea for the future, it would be cute to have like a little photobooth station(?) or just a volunteer offering to take photos because I think people would really appreciate a photo with the animals. Other than that, amazing job!!
- Katie :)
Hey Rec!
ReplyDeleteI think the concept of this is amazing and I think this is such a great (and very cute way) to relieve some stress for the students on campus! I think that the concept of having two lines, one where it moves a bit quicker and students get less time, and another one, where students can take a longer period of time with the animals, might be a good concept so that the lines move quicker but also some students could get a longer amount of time with the animals. Overall amazing job!
- Kimaya
hey rec!
ReplyDeletei was unfortunately absent for this event but i heard great things from my friends that were able to attend. going to your discussion points, i think people really enjoy holding the animals in their laps so having it "buffet style" is probably not preferred. an idea to think about is having people rsvp ahead of time so there's not too much crowd or lines. you can put students in time cohorts so crowd is cut down. great job rec!
<3 anika
Hi rec!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job planning barnyard buddies! This is one of my favorite events ever and I think its really popular with students. The location was perfect and I also really liked the stickers. I think a lot of people who didn’t want to line up for the bunnies and hamsters ended up just going to the sticker table, which was really nice because the stickers were so cute. Overall, great job rec!!! I love youuu
-Chloe
Hey rec!
ReplyDeleteFantastic job on barnyard buddies this year! While I was not able to make it this year, based on what I have seen and heard, it was a phenomenal event. I definitely think that it would be really nice to add name tags for the animals and allow students to bond with them a little more, as it allows for a more personal connection. I think the buffet style may be a little too fast for students, and they might not enjoy it as much because they get less time with the animals. Overall, fantastic job!!!
- Alex
hey rec!!
ReplyDeletegreat job on barnyard buddies! unfortunately, i was not able to attend this event but it seemed like such a cute, heart warming way for students to de stress and have fun. on your discussion point, i feel that doing a buffet style would probably be a good idea. it allows the line to move faster and this might encourage more people to participate. overall, great job rec. so excited to see more events from you guys!
- nina
Hey Rec!
ReplyDeleteThese events are my literal favorite! I think that the line this year was longer than last year (maybe good promo!), so we can split it up into a few lines. I noticed that some people only wanted one type of animal, so splitting up lines by animals could work. Additionally, having one line for buffet style while having another for sit down could help accommodate those who want to pet something, but aren't willing to wait in line. Can't wait for more!
- Sophia :)
HI Rec!
ReplyDeleteI loveeeee rec! Even though this is a relatively newly introduced event, I feel like it has already become one of the most well-loved events. The upperclassmen look forward to it, and it is exciting enough for the lowerclassmen to check it out. If possible, I think having a large display timer might be useful in helping the schedule move along.
-Erin :)
HELLO REC
ReplyDeleteI loved the animals it was so therapeutic. The lines were quite long and some people just opted to take the stickers (which I thought was good for people to sorta be involved if they didn't want to wait in the long line). To remedy the long lines, I do like the idea of buffet style; people can come and go. Good job!
Claire
Hi Rec!
ReplyDeleteI really loved this event. It was indeed therapeutic. I think that a buffet style petting area would be pretty nice because some people can just pet and go. I also think that crowd control was reasonable. Great job!
-Shyon
hi rec!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU FOR BRINGING ANIMALS ON CAMPUS THIS WAS AWESOMEEEE!! the idea is so cool but i think the only thing that needs some work is organization and logistics. make sure that you all are planning ahead and thinking abt every detail. imagine that you are a student walking towards the quad for the event. thinking abt events this way makes me chance information i had originally forgotten or hadnt thought abt. also drawing out diagrams of the layout will give everyone a better idea of what to do!
overall great job love love love the event
-esha
Hi rec!
ReplyDeleteThe current method of having to ask people to leave after a certain amount of minutes is inefficient. On the other hand, having a buffet style pet-and-go would not be therapeutic because you barely get to connect with one before moving on, reflecting modern trends technology of lowering attention spans which is what events like this are suppose to sooth. So possibly try timing an entire section of students? they get 1 minute and they get switched out. good luck!
-hao
hey rec !!
ReplyDeletegood job on barnyard buddies. i hear a lot off good things about this event and how nice it was to have rabbits and hamsters on campus to play with. i think the idea of having two different lines one for like buffet style and one for a sit down and interacting with the bunnies is definitely a good idea. it will help a lot with the traffic too. also i think this was mentioned in class but for the sit down line, it'd be nice for the volunteers to bring a round a bunny that people cant pet while waiting. overall though, good job !! this event brings so much joy to so many students.
- carrie
HI REC RAHHH,
ReplyDeleteI loved barnyard buddies and i loved the bunnies and i loved everything fr. I think that this is a super popular event, so you guys can definitely switch it to two tents and split it up based on animal (bunnies in one tent and all the other animals in a different tent) to help with crowd control. Also maybe have a shorter time limit because I heard some people were getting frustrated waiting in line. Overall, it was super amazing and I am excited to see what more you guys got in store for us this year!
hey stephanie and rec!!
ReplyDeletei absolutely loved the barnyard bunnies event you put on at lunch! my friends and i were so excited and could not stop gushing over all the cuties you had. i think the system worked very well, as we were only in line from less than 10 minutes, and spent quality time with the animals. you guys had a very good mix of chickens, rabbits and hamsters so there was lots of diversity in who got what. i think 1 minute (that hao suggested) is way to little because you don't get to have that therapeutic moment. maybe 3-4 minutes would be good? if you wanted something fun, you could play one song and when its done, everyone sitting moves on! i think this would work well but what you had going on was pretty efficient too!
having one person go through the line holding a bunny so people waiting can touch it would be super nice!!!
love u lots and i cant wait for the dogs :)
- shreya
Hello Rec,
ReplyDeleteI sadly wasn't able to participate in this event but I can help answer questions:
"Should we have a different more “buffet style” set up? Where students can pet and go?" - I think you should set it up into two separate lines where one is a buffet style with a caretaker holding an animal and students coming in and petting them and another being a sectioned off one with people coming in a group and leaving as a group.
"Crowd control? Did we let people in too quickly/too slowly?" - I think a good way of making it efficient would be to think of this as a ride or attraction at an amusement park. Let, for example, 5 people in. They are to leave in, for example, 1.5 minutes. While that is happening, make sure the next 5 people are ready to go and know which animal/chair they are going to sit into.
- Ivan