Bug Tic-Tac-Toe

Moving to a new state means new creepy crawlies. Living in the desert means even creepier creepy crawlies. Can you tell I have issues with bugs? It doesn’t help that the first morning in my new house I found 2 spiders and 3 cockroaches. They were all dead (belly up) but I was still a little freaked out since I wasn’t used to seeing dead bugs lying around on the floor. I’ve heard scorpions have been found in houses around here too. I’m so happy to report I haven’t seen one yet (and hope I never do).

My boys on the other hand are totally excited to learn as much as they can about these little things that freak me out. Orkin believes the best way to control pests is to learn as much about them as possible. They’ve been studying bugs for 100 years and have used science to help them in their work and keep them on the fore front of pest control.

Even though bugs aren’t my thing, I have to admit I was taken in and wanted to find out more information about some of these little creatures. The Orkin Ecologist website is full of interesting information and photos. It’s perfect for younger kids and older ones alike. At one point we were all standing around the computer and looking up new and interesting facts about these little creatures. Some of our favorites were the Goliath Bird-Eating Spider, the Dung Beetle, and the Cricket. Did I mention we’ve seen quite a few crickets too? Can you believe a spider that can eat birds? That is one spider I don’t want to see! Ammon’s favorite was the Dung beetle. He’s 10, so there’s probably no more explanation needed.

My boys love games and bugs so why not combine the two and make a tic-tac-toe game you play with bugs. We chose to use cockroaches and spiders since that’s what we’ve been familiar with lately. We learned about how spiders make their amazing webs and read about how remote controlled cockroaches are helping in neuroscience. And, of course, we learned almost everything there is to know about the Dung Beetle. Visit THe Orkin Ecologist website with your kiddos to learn about their favorite little creepy crawlies.

Back to the project: We spray painted the spiders orange and the cockroaches green. They don’t look quite as creepy painted. The tray was painted with black glitter spray to add a little spooky sparkle. My boys couldn’t wait to play tic-tac-toe with their new creepy crawly friends.

Now I can’t keep them off The Orkin Ecologist website. I love that they love learning new things and I love companies that encourage learning in the sciences. Ammon would love to do a science fair project on spiders (their body parts and how they spin amazing webs). Just as long as we don’t have to catch a real spider, I’m in.

The Orkin Ecologist website is a fantastic resource for teachers, parents and kids of all ages. Check it out with your kids to get some great information and maybe your little one will become a pest specialist. Do your kids love playing and learning? Check out these Top 10 Bug Apps to keep your little ones entertained while they’re learning.

{ 38 comments… add one }
  • DEBRA October 23, 2013, 12:42 am

    I really like the tic tac toe game. Its a really cool feature.

  • EDWARD October 23, 2013, 12:47 am

    I never seen so many different kinds of bugs in my life. I guess you learn something new every day.

  • NaDell October 23, 2013, 2:30 am

    My son would LOVE the how spiders build their perfect web feature. I’ll have to show it to him!

  • Christa October 23, 2013, 6:32 am

    I have a kid afraid of bugs and one that loves all kinds of bugs. I like all the different bugs to check out and hopefully not be afraid of and to learn more about without having to be near the real thing. Great site.

  • Billy H October 23, 2013, 7:24 am

    I do not like bugs but my kids would love to learn about them. Thank you for the opportunity to learn about them. Cute tic tac toe game.

  • Kim Banta October 23, 2013, 9:03 am

    Love the idea of Tic-Tac-Toe using bugs! What a fun and easy idea! I don’t like the live bugs, but plastic is alright!

  • Melanie October 23, 2013, 9:03 am

    The giant spider web craft!

  • Tara @ Suburble October 23, 2013, 9:04 am

    My kids are fascinated with bugs. This website sounds like a great way for them to learn more about creepy crawlies!

    And the tic-tac-toe game is too cute!

  • Mary Happymommy October 23, 2013, 9:31 am

    I like the animal facts on the Orkin site.

  • Pam from Over the Big Moon October 23, 2013, 9:37 am

    Such a fun idea to repurpose those items! Makes me want to go look through some closets!!

  • Kathy Penney @ Sparkles And A Stove October 23, 2013, 10:05 am

    This is adorable! My little boy would absolutely love this. Entered! Thanks for a great giveaway!

  • Leslie October 23, 2013, 10:21 am

    Spiders are my all time favorites

  • Elise P October 23, 2013, 11:37 am

    Cute game! The website is perfect for little boys and learning about bugs!

  • Amy Anderson October 23, 2013, 12:00 pm

    Love this! So cute. I love the spider articles on the ORKIN site. So interesting!

  • Stacie S-H October 23, 2013, 12:42 pm

    The pictures are AMAZING!

  • malia October 23, 2013, 1:15 pm

    Brilliant idea! The kiddos would love this!

  • malia October 23, 2013, 1:17 pm

    Orkin site: interesting facts and amazing photography!

  • Marlene October 23, 2013, 2:02 pm

    My boys will love this site. So many creepy crawlers for them to learn about. The Tic Tac Toe game is cute.

  • Rebecca Brewer October 23, 2013, 5:15 pm

    I love the hummingbird moth. I have seen them in various places, but I’m never able to get a good look at them.

  • Paula October 23, 2013, 5:24 pm

    Please pick me!!! I personally don’t love the Orkin site because I HATE bugs!!! But my boys LOVE getting to see the creepy bugs and spiders! 🙂

  • Aimee October 23, 2013, 6:37 pm

    I thought the part about building a perfect web was cool. I saw more bugs than I ever thought possible! 🙂

  • Jessie C. October 23, 2013, 8:58 pm

    I like the site is very informative, great posts to read and learn.

  • Elena October 23, 2013, 9:14 pm

    I like the cool pictures of insects

  • stephanie October 24, 2013, 6:04 am

    i like the The Tic Tac Toe

  • Leidy October 24, 2013, 6:09 am

    I like all the cool pictures and the great information they provide, I learned a few new things when I visited the site. Thanks!

  • Tabathia B October 24, 2013, 1:07 pm

    the visual mapping of the worlds deadliest insects

  • Christine Bowman October 24, 2013, 3:30 pm

    I spy a wonderful holiday gift for my grandsons! Thanks for sharing.

  • Jessica To October 24, 2013, 4:27 pm

    I saw how they have an article that stink bugs are on the rise in the US.

  • Heather Hayes Panjon October 25, 2013, 3:55 am

    I Like All The Fun Bugs Facts On The Orkin Site!

  • Lisa Brown October 25, 2013, 5:15 am

    I love all the informative articles on the Orkin website.

  • Kathleen October 25, 2013, 11:25 am

    I’m with you. I hate bugs. I can tell you something I hate about that website. Seeing a huge bird eating spider on the home page! It gave me the shivers. My son would freak out. He hates spiders so bad. This is a great learning tool though.

  • Jan October 27, 2013, 8:57 am

    Adorable tic tac toe. The website is great, what kid doesn’t love bugs!
    Jan

  • tammy shelton October 27, 2013, 1:26 pm

    I love that there’s so much interesting info! Yesterday, I took my 6 yr old grandson to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We saw some Dung Beetles there and I told my grand that we called these insects “dodo Bugs” when I was a little girl. According to the Orkin Site Dung beetles (dodo bugs) gallop toward poop. LOL

  • Laura J October 27, 2013, 8:44 pm

    Oh gosh, so hard to choose! They have a GREAT website! I love the science fair ideas for kids and the build a butterfly garden…so neat! I cannot wait to do that next spring!!!!

  • Amanda Sakovitz October 29, 2013, 12:22 pm

    I love how it provides all the interesting facts to all the different bugs!

  • Thomas Murphy October 29, 2013, 12:42 pm

    I like the part about Insects as Weapons: The History of Entomological Warfare.

  • Sandra VanHoey October 29, 2013, 4:35 pm

    i have a 6 year old grandson that is into science, bugs, etc and this site is very informative so it would be a site I’d like to take him too

  • Stacey B October 30, 2013, 10:24 am

    I appreciate how informative it is on differents pests/animals

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