Archive

Posts Tagged ‘Ticks’

Purdue Bug Bowl 2013 Cake Entry: Stomp Out Ticks!

April 13th, 2013
Comments Off on Purdue Bug Bowl 2013 Cake Entry: Stomp Out Ticks!

Bug Bowl LogoSo while I was brainstorming what to do for Lyme Awareness Month in May, I had a bright idea. My family lives near Purdue University and every spring there is a bug bowl hosted by the Entomology Department. Considering I had my brilliant thought of passing out materials at the event two days prior, I felt sort of in a pinch. This event is attended by so many people that I just couldn’t stand by and miss this opportunity. But I didn’t know what to do on such short notice.

One of the main attractions at the Bug Bowl is a cake decorating contest. I’ve always wanted to enter something, but you know I always think of things at the last minute. I’m happy to say though that I was able to work with my son to make a rice crispy cake shaped like a tick with tootsie rolls for legs. I think the cake and the cake board turned out kind of cute. I think this is the Centennial Bug Bowl, and people get very detailed with their submissions. I really don’t even care if we win a ribbon because we had so much fun making our little project. After all, my main mission was to reach out and educate the community about Lyme Disease (and have some fun with my son). We are both currently being treated for Lyme Disease.

I also printed out the Protect Yourself handout written by the Lyme Disease Association for attendees that wanted more information about Lyme Disease. I hope people found our display fun and informative. We love looking at all the entries every year and it will be nice to see our cake in the contest. I hope Corbin is proud of himself. I think he did a great job!

Take a Look at How We Made Our Cake

(Click Photos to Enlarge)

Corbin measures the Cocoa Rice Krispies

Corbin measures the Cocoa Rice Krispies

He starts mixing up the butterscotch chips and peanut butter.

He starts mixing up the butterscotch chips and peanut butter.

Son Grossed Out

After we pulled the body of the tick out of the freezer, Corbin acted “Disgusted”

Frosting a Cake

I think this is the first time I have let Corbin frost something on his own. Little ones grow up too fast.

Putting the crackle finish on the cake.

We wanted the tick to look shiny and have a crackled shell. We tried the crackle shell you pour over ice cream, but it doesn’t work so well at room temperature.

Tootsie rolls for legs

Daddy came to help make the eight legs out of tootsie rolls. Too Cute!

Labeling cake board

Corbin used stickers to decorate the cake board. He got to stay up extra late since he was working on a special project. See him in his cute jammies.

Finished Cake 2013

Our finished cake board has a little information about ticks and their habitat. Corbin glued poppy seeds and dill seeds on the grass to show the actual size of ticks. Man they are hard to see!

If you saw our cake at bug bowl and want to learn more about Lyme Disease, check out the resources below.

American Lyme Disease Foundation
Find out general information about Lyme Disease

Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Lyme Disease
by Bonnie Gorman, RN
Article hosted on the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme)

Lyme Disease.org
Publishes Lyme Times

LymeNet
Proper diagnosis and treatment is essential. Find a Lyme literate doctor (LLMD) near you. Click on the “Flash Discussion” link on the left hand side. Find the discussion “Seeking a Doctor” to get a referral. Many doctors have lost their practice for treating this controversial disease, so patients are referred very discretely.

Under Our Skin
A documentary about Lyme Disease available via Netflix Streaming

Events , , , ,