The $1 cricket observatory made from empty 2-L soda bottles allows kids to observe crickets up close and learn about their anatomy. Crickets that are normally out of sight hiding in the grass are safely observed through a sealed bottle. Crickets are an important part of nature’s food chain being a vital food for birds, fish, lizards, snakes, and more. Without them, many species would die. It is intellectually satisfying to understand this hidden world of these crickets that we hear and are a part of summer, and yet many never see them.