Evaluating the Impacts of Informal Tick and Tickborne Disease Educational Tools on Children

Nymphal and adult blacklegged ticks are glued to the mannequins to mimic potential acquisition or attachment sites. At outreach events, participants are invited to perform a thorough tick check on the mannequin. This activity helps participants identify the different life stages of the blacklegged tick and understand the size differences between nymphal and adult ticks. The "tick check" mannequins also wear both light and dark-colored clothing to show how clothing color affects tick detection.

Adult and nymphal blacklegged ticks are glued to an "everything" bagel. The bagel is covered in sesame and poppy seeds, which is the comparison commonly used to describe the size of adult and nymphal blacklegged ticks, respectively. Participants are then invited to search the bagel for ticks. The activity demonstrates the size differences between the adult and nymphal life stages and the proper search image for finding nymphs during a tick check.

The LEGO tick is an activity that leverages play-based learning to increase awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases, and it has the potential to significantly enhance our educational efforts by increasing engagement. This Build-a-Tick Kit is comprised of 83 LEGO bricks and offers a hands-on learning experience with multiple learning outcomes. Participants learn about the various morphological parts of a blacklegged tick during the building experience, such as the mouth parts and their function in disease transmission, the number of legs, and the body shapes and colors for an adult blacklegged tick. Additional information on ticks and tick-borne diseases is incorporated into the building instructions included in the Build-a-Tick Kit.