Orkin Buzzer Beater Quiz & Summer Scientist Giveaway

I can't wait for SUMMER and it is almost here! Grilling out on the back deck, baseball games, going on hiking adventures and all the other fun family activities you can do outdoors make it a great time of the year. There’s one thing no one likes about being outdoors, though: mosquitoes! Not only are they a nuisance, but they also pose potentially serious health risks. Fortunately, the experts at Orkin study the science of mosquitoes and other pests closely so they can help keep them away from your home this summer. To help you better prepare your family to avoid those pesky mosquito bites this summer, A Geek Daddy challenges you to take the Orkin BUZZER BEATER Quiz.



So how did you do on the Orkin BUZZER BEATER Quiz?  Orkin knows the information in this quiz because it invests in developing scientific knowledge of mosquitoes so they can properly understand the best way to address the problems they create and properly eliminate them from residential and commercial properties.  While mosquitoes are a nuisance when you observe and learn about them they are impressive creatures.  In fact when you taking a look from a scientific perspective you have to admit insects in general are quite remarkable.  To encourage children to study the insects that live around us, A Geek Daddy has an Orkin Summer Scientist Bug Catching Kit to giveaway.  Hopefully this will help cultivate an interest in science and nature for a child over the summer.

To be eligible for this giveaway you must follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet which is embedded below before May 2, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST.  Must be a US  resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per person and we'll randomly select someone from all eligible entries to receive the Orkin Summer Scientist Bug Catching Kit.

UPDATE: Congrats to Katrina from Cadillac, Michigan who won the giveaway.

Follow @Geekdad248 & RT for chance to win @TheOrkinMan Summer Scientist Bug Catching Kit #LearnWithOrkin #Ad US Only pic.twitter.com/K4MIVcXbAU

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) April 23, 2016

 
The Orkin Summer Scientist Bug Catching Kits are fun for the whole family to use and enjoy together.  Each pack includes:

Bug Catcher Craft Kit:  This awesome DIY bug catcher kit will let your family's personality shine through while also learning about nature and the world around us.  The kits include a variety of foam ladybugs, dragonflies and more!

Bug Nets:  Explore the great outdoors with these fun mesh insect nets.  They can be used to collect and study butterflies, ladybugs, caterpillars and many other backyard creatures.

See-Through Bug Jars:  Reveal the wonders of your backyard with these clear bug jars.  Each transparent plastic box has a magnifying lid for better insect viewing.  Young explorers love discovering worms, butterflies, ants, and insects.

Magic Color Scratch Little Garden Critters:  Scratch faces, designs and more on these Magic Color Scratch Little Garden Critters! A perfect kids' activity for critter lovers, simply scratch away the black coating to reveal vibrant rainbow colors.  Includes butterflies, frogs, turtles and more.

Glow-in-the-Dark Creepy Crawlers:  Turn off the lights and let them glow!  These vinyl glow-in-the-dark bugs are lots of fun for all ages.

Still have questions about pesky insects and critters that may invade your home or backyard during the summer months?  Ask the Orkin Man!  Reach out to Orkin on Twitter and Facebook with your questions or visit their youtube channel to view useful videos like this one on whether mosquitoes prefer adults over children.



Disclaimer & Rules / FTC Notice:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but ORKIN LLC is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize. By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. A Geek Daddy Blog hosted this contest and blog post based upon ORKIN LLC providing the prize to the selected winner. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers. Information for this post was provided by ORKIN LLC. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation for publishing this post but did receive one of the prizes for personal use.

#LEARNWITHORKIN

Viewing the world through a bug's eyes

This week's home work assignments for my kids involved learning about bugs.  Beyond being our family's resident bug killer when it comes to squashing the pesky ones we find lurking around our home, I didn't know a whole lot on the topic.  So we turned to makemegenius.com which provides free videos that explains scientific concepts to children in ways that are easy for them to comprehend.  Many of the videos like the one we viewed on bugs are portrayed as cartoons with an animated boy and girl explaining the topic so viewers appear to be learning from peers rather than being lectured to by an adult.  My children learned about the different types of bugs, the difference between arachnids (spiders, scorpions, ticks) and insects (ants, bees, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, praying mantis, true bugs and wasps) allowing them to easily answer their homework questions after we watched this seven minute video.



Other topics that makemegenius.com covers include astronomy, biology, chemistry, geography, and physics.  Videos can be sorted by age range (Kindergarten through 8th Grade) or by topic.  The animated sequences attempt to take concepts that my befuddle a student at school and explain them at the child's level to help him or her get a grasp on the information.  Videos range from being as simple as explaining why there is day and night to more complex subjects such as how does friction work, what are parallels of latitude, or understanding the digestive system.  The focus for all of these free videos which can be viewed either at makemegenius.com or on their youtube channel is to make science easy for kids.  If you have a child in elementary school or junior high this is a resource you should definitely check out!

Once my kids wrapped up answering their homework questions, we took a walk over to the neighborhood park to check out how the world looks through a bug's eyes.  Thanks to our Educational Insight's Animal Eye Viewers my twins were able to explore the playground through a pixelated bug's-eye view.  My son pretended he was flying like a bee soaring up and down on a swing while my daughter jumped all around the playground equipment like a giant grasshopper.

Unlike human eyes which are one big pupil, insects are made up of lots of little lenses.  Their eyes are too small to see as clearly as we see but they still provide a wide range of vision.  An insect's many little lenses help detect quick movements, which explains why flies can be so difficult to swat.  Also insects can see a broader spectrum of colors than human beings can which for example helps honeybees find nectar when examining flowers.  Using our insect viewer from our set of GeoSafari Jr. Animal Eye Viewers from Educational Insights, my kids were able to get a first hand perspective on how a bug views the world.

Educational Insights' GeoSafari Jr. Animal Eye Viewers comes as a three piece set that allows children to view the world around them as an insect, chameleon or shark.  Next week's homework  involves reptiles so we'll also be doing some exploring as well with their chameleon eye viewer to help make that assignment fun and interesting for them.  Hmm their teachers haven't given us enough advance notice to know if sharks is a topic that is coming up but I'm sure we'll have some fun with that version of the Animal Eye Viewers as well soon.

FTC Disclaimer:  A Geek Daddy was provided a complimentary Animal Eye Viewers set to review from Educational Insights.  Opinions are honest and my own.

Could you Survive as a Mouse?

Orkin "Mouse in a House" Game & Giveaway

A Geek Daddy's Little Helper

Brrr! We were outside raking autumn leaves and mowing the yard one last time before winter and I wasn't expecting it to be as brisk as it was.  I'm not looking forward to cold temperatures becoming the daily norm around here but with Halloween passed and Thanksgiving approaching that time of year is here.  Fortunately, I have a cozy house to escape the winter chill in.  What though becomes of all the critters in your neighborhood where the outdoors is their home?

Many of the birds migrate, bats, racoons and skunks tend to sleep through much of the winter in their dens, and rodents often try to invite themselves into your home to take advantage of the warmth, food and shelter.  We may not like the sound of unwelcome visitors treating our home like a winter timeshare, but how would you look at the situation if you were a mouse looking to get out of the cold?  Our friends at Orkin challenge you to see what you would do if you were a mouse trying to survive the winter through their new interactive app #MouseInAHouse 

Try your luck by playing "Mouse in a House", a choose-your-own-adventure game that puts you in the shoes of a rodent looking to survive the upcoming harsh winter season.  Give it your best shot to stay alive and see how long you last!

To help keep one lucky A GEEK DADDY BLOG reader warm this winter, Orkin is providing us with a Mouse In A House Cozy Fleece Blanket ( 4'x6' ) to giveaway.  Just follow the instructions below before Sunday, November 9 @ 11:59pm EST to enter and one random entry will be selected to win.

UPDATE: Congrats to our winner Pat S from Alexandria VA

 ENTRY #1:  Email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com with your name, mailing address with subject line MOUSE IN A HOUSE.

ENTRY #2:  Tell us either in a blog comment or your Entry #1 email a funny or horrific story about a mouse in your house.

ENTRY #3:  Follow A GEEK DADDY BLOG on Facebook and tell us your FB identity in your Entry #1 email.

ENTRY #4:  Follow A GEEK DADDY BLOG on Google+ and tell us your Google+ identity in your Entry #1 email.

Basically don't send us an email until you've done all four things and include all the info in one message.  Entry #1 is the only required submission and the other three are optional for a maximum of up to four entries.

Disclaimer & Rules:

You must be a US resident to enter over the age of 18. A Geek Daddy Blog will select a random winner on  Monday, November 10, 2014 ( 1 winner will be selected from a random draw of all eligible entries - each submitted entry will be assigned a number and a random number will be drawn to select a winner based upon total entries ).  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but ORKIN LLC is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize. By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. A Geek Daddy Blog hosted this contest and blog post based upon ORKIN LLC providing the prize to the selected winner.  Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers.  Information for this post was provided by ORKIN LLC.  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation for publishing this post.

If you do find mice in your house this winter you may want to contact Orkin at 1-800-800-ORKIN to help eliminate the problem.  Check out Orkin on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

FACT or FICTION: Do you know the TRUTH when it comes to a Bug's Life?

 Take Orkin's Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake Quiz

for a chance to win a Scientific Back-to-School prize pack

You've heard the myths about bugs before.  Do you know what's fact and what's fake?  Take the Orkin Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake Quiz below to test your knowledge.  Be sure to watch every clip for the scoop on these infamous bug myths.

A Geek Daddy Blog is giving away a Scientific Back-to-School Prize Pack courtesy of our friends at Orkin.  The prize pack includes:

• Clip-on Fisheye Lens (iPhone, Galazy, Android compatible)

• Orkin On-the-Go Drink Tumbler

• Orkin Drawstring Bag

• Orkin "Field Notes" Notebook w/ Pen

For the win, watch all of the Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake videos above and than do one or all of the following (Entries will not be judged) to earn up to 3 entries:

ENTRY 1 - email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com with your own creative bug myth.  Include your full name and mailing address.

ENTRY 2 - Tweet about a bug myth you had been fooled about including @Geeky_Dad and #OrkinMan within your message.

ENTRY 3 - Leave a comment on this blog post regarding which Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake video is your favorite & why.

Contest ends Thursday, August 28th at 11:59 pm EST.  You must be a US resident to enter over the age of 18.  One random winner will be selected on Friday, August 29, 2014 (Each eligible entry will be assigned a number and winner will be selected from a random number draw). 

A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but ORKIN LLC is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. A Geek Daddy Blog hosted this contest and blog post based upon ORKIN LLC providing a Scientific Back-to-School Prize Pack to the selected winner. Each household is only eligible to win a Scientific Back-to-School Prize Pack via blog reviews and giveaways once.  Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway.  If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses.

For more information about the insects in our world check out ORKIN's resources on Facebook and its website.

DISCLAIMER:  In addition to awarding a prize pack to the winner of this contest, ORKIN LLC also provided A GEEK DADDY Blog with a prize pack as part of the blog's participation in this promotion.