Oh Catherder the irony!!
I think that the best thing you can do is keep this stuff outside to prolong its life. I know that sounds crazy but we brought 4 huge stumps inside our garage one winter because we moved and they got full of bugs. They were outside the winter before and did fine. I currently have logs and kept them outside this winter. They are great for the kids when they go hunting for worms. Worms love to live under stumps and logs! As for ticks I don’t worry too much about it. I also live in suburban wasteland and have never actually seen a tick and I do kid checks every day in the summer for them. My dog also. We have a blue spruce tree which produces oodles of cones and a maple and serviceberry that produces flowers and leaves. I also grow a wildflower and lavendar garden which I cut the blooms for the kids. Any kind of plant that requires clipping to produce more blooms is ideal. I have a mud kitchen with real pots, pans and ladles and spoons etc and keep the water table filled with fresh water daily for them to mix and play in. We get very dirty! I also have a pallet that I put on the ground for them to pretend with. It can be a boat, a stage, balance beam etc. There are some natural loose parts you can get on Amazon or Michaels as well, just do a search to get ideas. Pinterest can be good as well.
I am not licensed thankfully so the more bugs and nature the better!