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Lapbooks

15 Amazing Lapbook Materials to Use Besides Glue and Paper

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I have 15 lapbook materials ideas besides glue and paper which can be added to your homeschool lapbooks.

Homeschool lapbooks are more than a set of minibooks inside a file folder.

In addition because lapbooks are products of your child’s work each lapbook can be as individual as the child.

When I started lapbooks I didn’t realize the impact a hands-on tool would have on my children’s learning journey.

15 Amazing Lapbook Materials to Use Besides Glue and Paper

And materials for the lapbooks should be things which help the topic the lapbook is about to be memorable.

Unlike worksheets, lapbooks are interactive and if you create them in the right way they can be a timeless learning tool.

For example, flaps can be added anytime to your lapbook and that can continue as long as your child is interested in the topic.

3 Powerful Advantages to Homeschool Lapbooks

First, before you decide what type of lapbook materials you want to include in your child’s lapbook, look at these three advantages.

  1. Lapbooks are a powerful way to wrap up what is learned and to pull it together in one place.
  2. And because families can have a wide span of grades to cover, only one lapbook can be made with parts contributed by each child. Also, you have the option of each child making their own. There are no rules to how to use lapbooks to nurture a love of learning.
  3. The value of lapbooks comes from the interaction or collaboration within the family, by self-motivated research, or research assigned by you. Flexibility is key to creating the hands-on tool.

Also, lapbooks should be designed in a way that fits the topics your child will want to include.

For example, when my kids were younger, I decided whether the lapbook should be multiple file folders folded book like, to be letter sized or even legal sized.

Even if the file folder will be folded horizontal or vertical are things I help my kids to think about.

15 Amazing Lapbook Materials to Use Besides Glue and Paper

For instance, the first American Civil War lapbook we made, shown above, was book like with file folders put together instead of having flaps.

As my kids got older, they decided what type of design they would like based on their previous experience doing them.

If they needed help of course I would give suggestions.

Other Lapbook Resources

Whether your child wants his or her lapbook to be a study guide or a creative expression there is no lack of materials.

Aren’t the miniature pocket sized coloring books perfect for a lapbook?

Materials to Add to a Homeschool Lapbook

Here area few ideas of fun things or materials to add to your lapbook.

One.
Print a board game on paper and fold it smartly into your lapbook.

Two.
Create a mini or expandable timeline.

Three.
Your child’s handprint craft like a rainforest parrot not only makes fun art but is a memory keeper craft.

15 Amazing Lapbook Materials to Use Besides Glue and Paper

Four.
Add printed photos.

Not all photos have to stay on your phone. Add photos of your child’s field trip or a fun co-op to his or her lapbook. This way your child can cherish the moments too.

Five.
Printed mini flashcards.

Some of the materials you can make and others you can buy.

15 Amazing Lapbook Materials to Use Besides Glue and Paper

Look at these other 10 fun materials to include.

Other Materials to Add to Your Lapbook

Again, lapbooks are so much more than paper and glues. Add these solid things to your lapbook as you need them.

Mushroom Stickers

Then another really fun way to help kids get excited about a topic is to use themed stickers.

Stickers are not just for young kids.

Even older kids love using stickers to decorate outside flaps or decorate inside minibooks.

Rolls Washi Tape

Also, washi tape can be used to make decorate pouches and pockets in your child's lapbook.

Whether you have a crafty child or not, they'll love using the tape for creating mini pouches and pockets.

Basics Sheet Protectors

As my kids got older, we needed ways to hold writing so that it could easily be retrieved.

The best thing about page protectors is that you can cut them down as needed.

Arts and Crafts for Kids

Feathers, googly eyes and poms poms as well as popsicle sticks can be added to your lapbook.

For example, popsicle sticks can make great puppets or math manipulative to store in pockets.

Feathers can be use for writing materials or to decorate any nature or Native American unit.

Cone Coffee Filters

I've used cone filters for several art projects using pastel chalk.

If your child wants to stamp or paint a story, these coffee filters hold up well.

They are still thin enough but not as thick as cardstock so they can be added easily to the lapbook.

Lined Index Cards

Index cards are timeless for kids who want to learn how to study.

Lapbooks are a great way for your child to display what he or she knows by adding cards throughout the lapbook.

Mini Notebooks

I haven't used these yet but oh so cute.

These could easily be added to a pocket if your child was writing an ongoing story or doing copywork.

Small Envelopes Library Card

If you don't want to print your own pockets to store materials or collections, just add these.

I always have pockets ready to go unless we decide to make one.

People Paper Cut Outs

If I had these when we did the Gingerbread Man it would have saved me tons of time.

These paper cut outs can be used for adding math problems on, adding precious thumb and finger prints and even to act out a story for your littles.

Mosaic Squares -  Bright Cardstock Squares

Then I'm loving these mosaic squares.

Sure you can could cut your own or get assorted ones which can be used for a variety of purposes.

We cut out out ones to make a mosiac craft for our Marco Polo Lapbook, but this would have saved us some time.

Some things are just worth it to have around.

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

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Exploring space and astronomy free unit study for multiple ages is a fascinating study. It’s a glimpse into the sun, moon, stars, galaxy, and structure of the universe. Also, look at my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

Astronomy is a study of the universe beyond the earth. The universe is huge and whether you’re gazing at the starry heavens or watching a moonlight night, it’s staggering to the human mind. The universe is complex and immense.

There are many reasons why we find it fascinating to study about space and astronomy:

  • to find our place in the universe,
  • to learn how natural disasters like comets and meteorites impacts our earth,
  • to understand how to mark the passing of days, months, and years,
  • and to explore out of natural curiosity.
Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

Look at some of these topics to explore with your kids as you do this space and astronomy free unit study.

Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study Ideas

  • Define eclipses and learn their ancient mystery.
  • Investigate space objects and how they’re formed.
  • Recognize famous constellations, their names, and shapes.
  • Name some famous men and women astronomers.
  • Learn what is an asteroid.
  • To understand what is a planet.
  • Gather information about the moon and the importance in our solar system.
  • Discuss Kepler’s Laws and how they affect our understanding of astronomy.
  • Appreciate the history and achievements in astronomy.
  • What are stars, their colors, birth of stars, life expectancy, and patterns?
  • Analyze the origin of the universe.
  • Explain what is the Milky Way.
  • Investigate about black holes, their meaning, and how they’re formed.
  • Describe the solar system.
  • Tell why seasons change.
  • Summarize Einstein’s Theories and explain how they affect our increased understanding of the heavens.
  • Compare and contrast dwarf planets with planets.
  • Examine the meaning of terms like orbit, rotation, and revolution.

First, let’s jump into exploring space and astronomy free unit study by learning the history of astronomy at a quick glance.

History of Astronomy

Navigators were able to find their way on the seas through compasses and landmarks, like lighthouses, but the earliest was through celestial objects. The sun, moon, and stars served as the earliest guides.

Today, few people really spend much time looking at the night sky. In ancient days, before electric lights robbed so many people of the beauty of the sky, the stars and planets were an important aspect of everyone’s daily life.

All the records that we have—on paper and in stone—show that ancient civilizations around the world noticed, worshipped, and tried to understand the lights in the sky and fit them into their own view of the world. These ancient observers found both majestic regularity and never-ending surprise in the motions of the heavens.

Through their careful study of the planets, the Greeks and later the Romans laid the foundation of the science of astronomy.

Aristotle, who was a Greek philosopher, believed the earth was the center of the universe and that the earth was surrounded by water, fire, and air.

Then, Aristarchus believed the sun was the center of the universe and he was the first to measure the distance to the sun and moon. He was a Greek astronomer who maintained that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun.

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

Furthermore, interest in the fascinating heavens continued from ancient times to medieval times.

Here is part of a medieval manuscript on astronomy.

This image is the front piece of a book covering topics like the movement of the planets, distances between stars, signs of the zodiac, the nature of the moon, and the art of reading minds.

Astronomy Free Unit Study

Moreover, there is an astrolabe in the picture above.

This is an instrument formerly used to make astronomical measurements, typically of the altitudes of celestial bodies, and in navigation for calculating latitude, before the development of the sextant.

In its basic form (known from classical times), it consists of a disk with the edge marked in degrees and a pivoted pointer.

Medieval scientists in the Middle East used this device to solve problems related to time and the positions of heavenly bodies.

While the astrolabe was a Greek invention, it was greatly improved upon by Arabic astronomers.

For example, the most important reason for science innovation by the Arabs was for their religion Islam worship. If they perfected the astrolabe, they could find out the time of day and direction for prayers toward Mecca.

Astronomy was used by the Egyptians, Mayans, Aztecs, Europeans, and the native Americans. Look at this site Star Date and the information it has about the Milky Way. Read what different cultures thought was this glowing strip of light across the sky.

By the early ninth century, in Baghdad, the study of astronomy was part of every scholar’s education.

Free Ancient Astronomy Notebooking Pages

Additionally, I’ve created these fun Ancient Astronomy notebooking pages for your middle or high school kids. It’s a fun way to add history with science because it’s inextricably linked.

A budding astronomer can’t fully appreciate today’s advancements unless he understands the pains ancient astronomers went through to understand celestial objects.

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

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Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

More Hands-on Astronomy Ideas for Kids

How Did Ancient People View Astronomy

To help your student in their research about ancient astronomy and to use the notebooking pages above, look at a few of these helpful sites.

To go along with the notebooking pages look at this fun idea for a hands-on project. Build Your Own Stonehenge (Mega Mini Kit).

Exploring Astronomy and Space Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

The Solar System

Earth is only one of eight planets that revolve around the Sun. These planets, along with their moons and
swarms of smaller bodies such as dwarf planets, make up the solar system.

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

A planet is defined as a body of significant size that orbits a star and does not produce its own light. If a large body consistently produces its own light, it is then called a star.

We are able to see the nearby planets in our skies only because they reflect the light of our local star, the Sun.

If the planets were much farther away, the tiny amount of light they reflect would usually not be visible to us. The Sun is our local star, and all the other stars are also enormous balls of glowing gas that generate vast amounts of energy by nuclear reactions deep within.

When you look up at a star-filled sky on a clear night, all the stars visible to the unaided eye are part of a single collection of stars we call the Milky Way Galaxy. The Sun is one of hundreds of billions of stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy.

ABOUT THE SUN AND MOON

However, the Sun is not the only object that moves among the fixed stars. The Moon and each of the planets that are visible to the unaided eye—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus (although just barely)—also change their positions slowly from day to day.

During a single day, the Moon and planets all rise and set as Earth turns, just as the Sun and stars do. But like the Sun, they have independent motions among the stars, superimposed on the daily rotation of the celestial sphere.

Noticing these motions, the Greeks of 2000 years ago distinguished between what they called the fixed stars—those that maintain fixed patterns among themselves through many generations—and the wandering stars, or planets. The word “planet,” in fact, means “wanderer” in ancient Greek.

Constellations

The backdrop for the motions of the “wanderers” in the sky is the canopy of stars. If there were no clouds in the sky and we were on a flat plain with nothing to obstruct our view, we could see about 3000 stars with the unaided eye.

To find their way around such a multitude, the ancients found groupings of stars that made some familiar geometric pattern or (more rarely) resembled something they knew.

Each civilization found its own patterns in the stars, much like a modern Rorschach test in which you are asked to discern patterns or pictures in a set of inkblots.

The ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and Greeks, among others, found their own groupings—or constellations—of stars. These were helpful in navigating among the stars and in passing their star lore on to their children.

You may be familiar with some of the old star patterns we still use today, such as the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Orion the hunter, with his distinctive belt of three stars. However, many of the stars we see are not part of a distinctive star pattern at all, and a telescope reveals millions of stars too faint for the eye to see.

Therefore, during the early decades of the 20th century, astronomers from many countries decided to establish a more formal system for organizing the sky.

Today, we use the term constellation to mean one of 88 sectors into which we divide the sky, much as the United States is divided into 50 states.

The modern boundaries between the constellations are imaginary lines in the sky running north–south and east–west, so that each point in the sky falls in a specific constellation, although, like the states, not all constellations are the same size.

Famous Men Astronomers

Then, introduce your students to some famous men astronomers.

For example, Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer of the 16th/17th centuries. Kepler discovered the three principles to govern planetary motion. Consequently, they became known as “Kepler’s Laws.”

More famous astronomers were Ptolemy, Nicholas Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, and Carl Sagan.

Look below to see a few facts about each of the astronomer’s discoveries.

Ptolemy. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy made a summary of the astronomical knowledge of his time. This summary, entitled Almagest, contains a list of 48 constellations. His ideas were accepted for the next 1000 years or so.

Nicholas Copernicus. His ideas caused religious and scientific controversy; he wrote a book published in 1543 entitled On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. His evidence supported the idea that the earth was not the stationary center of the universe but, in fact, moved around the sun.

Galileo Galilei. He used the telescope to sketch pictures of the moon and Saturn’s rings. He heard that a Dutch inventor had invented something called a spyglass. Galileo decided to work on one of his own.

Within 24 hours, he had invented a telescope. It could magnify things to make them appear ten times larger than real life. He pointed his telescope toward the sky. He made his first of many space observations. Everyone thought the moon was smooth. Galileo saw that it wasn’t. The moon was covered in bumps and craters.

Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein was a physicist who developed the general theory of relativity.

Edwin Hubble. Hubble proved that many objects previously thought to be clouds of dust and gas and classified as “nebulae” were actually galaxies beyond the Milky Way.

Carl Sagan. He wrote several books about astronomy and is a popular scientist.

Famous Women Astronomers

Next, learn about women astronomers who are making a difference or have made a difference in the past.

For example, one woman who made a difference is Henrietta Leavitt.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an American astronomer. A graduate of Radcliffe College, she worked at the Harvard College Observatory as a “computer”, tasked with examining photographic plates in order to measure and catalog the brightness of stars. Watch this YouTube video Henrietta Leavitt & the Human Computers: Great Minds.

In addition, look at the list of women astronomers below.

Your student could research about one or two of them. It’s not an exhaustive list, but your kids will build an appreciation for these science shakers.

  • Annie Jump Cannon
  • Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
  • Williamina Fleming 
  • Helen Sawyer Hogg
  • Carolyn Herschel 
  • Margaret Burbidge
  • Mildred Shapley Matthews
  • Maria Mitchell    
  • Antonia Maury 
  • Jocelyn Bell Burnell
  • Adelaide Ames
  • Evelyn Leland 

Also, look at a few books about women and astronomy. This first one Astronomy: Cool Women in Space (Girls in Science), is published by one of my favorite publishers for unit studies which is Nomad Press.

The second one is 101 Awesome Women Who Transformed Science.

Living Books about Astronomy

In addition, I love the online self-paced language arts courses by Literary Adventures which uses living books. Look at these fun books about space and rocks to add to this astronomy course:

https://www.literaryadventuresforkids.com/p/the-little-prince-online-book-club?affcode=168584_izgghx15
https://www.literaryadventuresforkids.com/p/there-are-rocks-in-my-socks-said-the-ox-to-the-fox-online-nature-book-club?affcode=168584_izgghx15
https://www.literaryadventuresforkids.com/p/the-rocket-that-flew-to-mars-online-nature-book-club?affcode=168584_izgghx15

Astronomy Vocabulary Words

Next, add some basic astronomy vocabulary words. Here are some ideas below:

  • Astronomy – It is the study of everything in the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere. It includes objects we can see with our naked eyes, like the Sun , the Moon , the planets, and the stars . It also includes objects we can only see with telescopes or other instruments.
  • Star – A giant ball of hot gas that emits light and energy created through nuclear fusion at its core. The Sun is a star.
  • Aurora Borealis – The aurora in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the Northern Lights.
    • Galaxy – A group of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction. There are millions of galaxies in the universe.
    • Crater – A hole caused by an object hitting the surface of a planet or moon.
    • Moon – A natural satellite that orbits a
    • larger object.
    • Andromeda Galaxy – The nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. The Andromeda Galaxy is approximately 2.2 million light years away and is very similar in appearance to our galaxy.

      MORE ASTRONOMY VOCABULARY WORDS

      • Meteorite – It is a fragment of matter from outer space that strikes the surface of a planet or the Moon.
      • Telescope – An instrument for directly viewing distant objects, using lenses or mirrors or both to make the object appear nearer and larger.
      • Magnetosphere – The region around the Earth, or any other planet, within which its natural magnetic field is constrained by the solar wind.
      • Shooting star – A small meteor that has the brief appearance of a darting, starlike object.
      • Astro – A prefix that refers to the meaning of a star or stars, a celestial body or outer space to the name. “Astro” is derived from the Greek word “astron” meaning star.
      • Twilight – An intermediate period of illumination of the sky before sunrise and after sunset.
      • Polar Aurora – The most intense of the several lights emitted by the Earth’s upper atmosphere, seen most often along the outer realms of the Arctic and Antarctic, where it is called aurora borealis and aurora australis.
      • Solar System – The sun and all the planets that orbit it.
      • Comet – A frozen mass of gas and dust which have a definite orbit through the solar system.
      • Nova – A cataclysmic nuclear explosion caused by the accretion of hydrogen onto the surface of a white dwarf star.

      Fun Hands-on Exploring Astronomy Ideas for Younger Kids

      Also, the best kind of science unit study includes many hands-on ideas. Science is about investigating, exploring, and pondering how things work.

      Look at couple of these hands-on fun ideas Mr. Munch King did.

      Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages
      Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

      Oreo cookie moon phase we got here Oreo Cookie Moon Phases and this fun one erupting moon rocks strengthens fine motor skills.

      So, whether you’re looking for sensory ideas or just fun space themed ideas, look at these ideas for younger kids.

      Then Mr. Munch King really loved this Epic Space Adventures (LEGO Star Wars: Activity Book with Minifigure). Some of the Lego activity books come with press outs for play learning.

      Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

      Space and Astronomy Hands-on Ideas for Older Kids

      Again, including astronomy and space hands-on ideas for older kids makes learning come alive even for your older kids. Grab one of these ideas.

      Astronomy Learning Toys and Games

      Next, you’ll love these fun items either for a serious star gazer or just for fun.

      Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

      Whether it’s a 3D Glow-in-the-Dark Solar System Mobile, 70mm Travel Scope – Portable Refractor Telescope -Ideal Telescope for Beginners or a 3D Solar System Model Crystal Ball Engraved Hologram with Light Up Base Planet Model your kids will love them.

      There are so many fun things to get for your astronomy lover. Look below at this cool Solar Robots Toy, 190 Pcs Stem Science Project Kit 12 in 1, Kids Educational Science Experiments Building robotics Kit for Boy and Girls Aged 8-12 and the planet bracelet.

      Free Astronomy High School Book, Free Lesson Plans and Background Information

      Then, below I have gathered some of the best free astronomy curriculum and lesson plans.

      Add in more hands-on easy astronomy experiments and you’ll have no shortage of topics to discover about our universe.

      Books for Kids About Astronomy

      Look at theses books, Janice VanCleave’s Astronomy for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work, and Seeing the Sky: 100 Projects, Activities & Explorations in Astronomy (Dover Children’s Science Books) for even more hands-on space unit study ideas.

      Also, I’m particular about books which make awesome spines. One thing I learned while doing this unit study is that there is no shortage of wonderful books which serve as a spine.

      What is a Homeschool Unit Study Spine

      A homeschool unit study spine can be a living book, magazine, mentor, reference book or chart, art or art object, play, musical piece, brochure, movie, encyclopedia, or any other type of book, object, or person which is the main reference or authority for your unit study topic

      Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

      With that being said, there were a few books which helped to put this massive subject into smaller bites.

      One book is The Usborne Book of Astronomy and Space and the other is The Usborne Complete Book of Astronomy and Space (Complete Books Series). The point is there is a plethora of books for this topic.

      Astronomy High School Lab Ideas

      In addition, the best part ever to any astronomy and space free unit study is being able to count high school credit for science.

      These astronomy high school lab ideas below will keep the topic fun for budding astronomers or those who want to get serious about it as a career.

      Look at this list: Skynet and IRSA Nebula lab, Constructing 3-Color Astronomical Images, Discover the mass of a star using its exoplanets and a spreadsheet, Moon & Mercury crater counting, Hour of Code – Making Astronomical Images, Hour of Code – Making Astronomical Images, and ideas for using Stellarium.

      Grab the above astronomy lab ideas and MORE activities here.

      Careers in Astronomy

      In addition, have your kids research about careers. Here are a few ideas:

      • Space Engineer – Space engineers design and monitor probes used to explore space. They also study the data collected.
      • Planetarium director
      • Astronomer
      • Astrophysics
      • Meteorologist
      • Climatologist
      • Research scientist

      Astronomy Lapbook

      Next, your kids will love this fun lapbook. Many activities exist for younger kids, so I gear my lapbooks toward older kids.

      This lapbook is aimed for upper elementary to middle school. However, this lapbook comes two ways – one which has minibooks with facts filled in and the other one with blank minibooks. So, this lapbook can be used for ANY age even high school because I do not use baby-ish or goofy looking clip art.

      Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

      Awesome Features of the Astronomy Lapbook:

      • The same lapbook comes two different ways in this one download. One lapbook has a few facts filled in each minibook and the other lapbook has minibooks with all blank inside pages.
      • Because I use a combination of cursive and print fonts, I aim my lapbooks toward upper elementary up to high school. The lapbook could be used for high school when your student uses the lapbook with minibooks with blank inside pages. Another option for high school is to mix and match the minibooks with facts filled in with minibooks with blank inside pages.
      • This is a .pdf instant downloadable product and not a physical product.
      • You are paying for the printables, the lapbook.
      • You can use any reference materials, books, or online resources to complete the lapbook.
      • I don’t provide links in the lapbooks for filling in the information. This keeps my prices low for my products, but I do provide free links and unit studies on my site as I can.
      • My printables are very flexible. You decide which topics you want your children to research.  Also, you can mix and match filled in and blank minibooks of your choice.

      MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. I value your business and value you as a follower. I stand behind my products because they are actual products I use and benefit from too. Though I cannot refund purchases after you have been given access to them, I will do what I can to be sure you are a pleased customer. Read carefully what you get on your digital download.

      Astronomy YouTube Videos

      Next, whether your learner wants to learn more about the solar system or a star, you’ll love these astronomy YouTube Videos.

      Astronomical Instruments

      Finally, learn about astronomical instruments like the telescope.

      If you look at the sky when you are far away from city lights, there seem to be an overwhelming number of stars up there. In reality, only about 9000 stars are visible to the unaided eye (from both hemispheres of our planet).

      The light from most stars is so weak that by the time it reaches Earth, it cannot be detected by the human eye.

      There are three basic components of a modern system for measuring radiation from astronomical sources.

      First, there is a telescope, which serves as a “bucket” for collecting visible light (or radiation at other wavelengths. Just as you can catch more rain with a garbage can than with a coffee cup, large telescopes gather much more light than your eye can.

      Second, there is an instrument attached to the telescope that sorts the incoming radiation by wavelength. Sometimes the sorting is fairly crude. For example, we might simply want to separate blue light from red light so that we can determine the temperature of a star.

      But at other times, we want to see individual spectral lines to determine what an object is made of, or to measure its speed.

      ABOUT MICROSCOPES AND TELESCOPES

      Third, we need some type of detector, a device that senses the radiation in the wavelength regions we have chosen and permanently records the observations.

      How Telescopes Work

      Telescopes have come a long way since Galileo’s time. Now they tend to be huge devices; the most expensive cost hundreds of millions to billions of dollars.

      The reason astronomers keep building bigger and bigger telescopes is that celestial objects—such as planets, stars, and galaxies—send much more light to Earth than any human eye (with its tiny opening) can catch, and bigger telescopes can detect fainter objects.

      The most important functions of a telescope are (1) to collect the faint light from an astronomical source and (2) to focus all the light into a point or an image.

      Most objects of interest to astronomers are extremely faint: the more light we can collect, the better we can study such objects. (And remember, even though we are focusing on visible light first, there are many telescopes that collect other kinds of electromagnetic radiation.)

      Since most telescopes have mirrors or lenses, we can compare their light-gathering power by comparing the apertures, or diameters, of the opening through which light travels or reflects. You may be thinking about buying your own telescope.

      Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

      Astronomy Free Unit Plan

      Some of the factors that determine which telescope is right for you depend upon your preferences:

      • Will you be setting up the telescope in one place and leaving it there, or do you want an instrument that is portable and can come with you on outdoor excursions? How portable should it be, in terms of size and weight?
      • Do you want to observe the sky with your eyes only, or do you want to take photographs? (Long exposure photography, for example, requires a good clock drive to turn your telescope to compensate for Earth’s rotation.)
      • What types of objects will you be observing? Are you interested primarily in comets, planets, star clusters, or galaxies, or do you want to observe all kinds of celestial sights?

      As you can see above, we barely touched the fringes of the universe with this unit study. There is so much to learn as you look into the heavens.

      You’ll love more other free unit studies below:

      26 Fun Nature Unit Studies for Multiple Ages

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      This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

      Early on in my journey I discovered easy nature unit studies as a way to make science come alive. Also, look at my page 26 Fun Nature Unit Studies for Multiple Ages.

      Nature unit studies not only revive burn out in students, but they’re cost effective and memorable.

      Today, I’m sharing 26 homeschool nature unit studies for multiple ages that can easily be used for a year long curriculum.

      I’ve found that it’s hard to cover anymore than about two topics a month because you want to savor topics.

      26 free nature unit studies for multiple ages. Easy nature unit studies as a way to make science come alive. Nature unit studies not only revive burn out in students, but they’re cost effective and memorable. CLICK HERE to grab 26 free homeschool nature unit studies for multiple ages that can easily be used for a year as free curriculum!

      If you cover two nature topics per month, then you have a whole years worth of ideas here.

      I have a few other topics listed so your kids can choose what interests them or mix and match.

      Nature Unit Studies

      You can start with any month and do this in any order, but I started with August and worked my way through to the end of what is considered a typical school year.

      Please note: Some lapbooks were free for a limited time.

      Also, I listed these unit studies to flow with the natural cycle of seasons in the Northern hemisphere.

      However some places, like here in Texas, it doesn’t get snow all over.

      Again you can choose any order, but I aimed for a schedule to follow the natural seasons.

      AUGUST Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      There is an endless number of themes and ideas to study about in August.

      1. Above and Below: Pond Unit Study and Free Lapbook

      2. From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study & Lapbook

      Pond, river or water related ideas, a night walk or even starting a miniature herb garden are great ideas for August.

      Furthermore butterflies, water bugs, and dragonflies can be studied during this time.

      SEPTEMBER Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Next, September 1 marks the first of fall.

      Normally with a bit cooler weather it’s a great time for a rock and mineral unit study or even prairie flowers.

      Mushrooms, fruits, and ferns are more good nature unit study ideas.

      Another activity is learning about the harvest moon and learning is just not complete without including apples. Be sure to grab my free Moon Journal when you follow me.

      Nature Study Lessons

      Too, I want to add more habitat or biomes unit studies during this month.

      3. Fall Unit Study (Includes Apples, Sir Isaac Newton, Art, and Appleseed)

      4. Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study

      Also, there is no greater unit study about nature than learning about the human body.

      OCTOBER Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      After an apple unit study or bat unit study, learn about leaves and pumpkins.

      With the changing weather, storms and weather patterns make great topics.

      5. Fall Unit 1 {Pumpkins, Leaves, Corn, & More}

      6. Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

      It’s also a fun time to learn about gourds and squash or the changing weather and storms. Also, I have more Free Fall Unit Study Ideas– For Older Kids Too.

      Nature Study Resources

      NOVEMBER Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Then November is the last month of fall, but there is already a cold snap in the air.

      It’s a fun time to learn about how raptors survive, how trees changes, twigs, buds, gathering, and foraging to save for the long winter months.

      Squirrel watching and learning about mushrooms is fun to do this time of the year too.

      7. Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook


      8. Famous and Historic Trees Fun Nature and History Homeschool Unit Study

      In addition, you can add lichens and moss as a unit study.

      DECEMBER Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Furthermore, I love doing a bird unit study in December.

      Watching animal tracks and signs is another idea if you have snow.

      9. Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study

      10. Free Arctic Ground Squirrel Lapbook & Unit Study Resources

      Another topic we want to still do is about evergreens or the winter solstice.

      Science Unit Studies

      JANUARY Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Next, January is a great time to focus on the Arctic region, Arctic animals, ice and snow.

      11. Arctic Region

      12. Winter Season Unit Study. Free Lapbook & Hands-On Ideas

      Learning about wolves, hibernation, and even foxes are fun topics.

      FEBRUARY Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Another month we loved to focus on rocks and gems is February.

      Because February can be a hard month to get outside for a nature study, I lean toward earth science themes. It keeps the fun going.

      More Homeschooling Multiple Ages Tips

      One year we loved learning about Amber and fossils.

      13. Amber – Freezing Gold


      14. Free Earth Science Lapbook

      If you can’t study what is on the ground, look to the sky and stars for unit study ideas.

      Look at this hands-on activity Erosion Hands-on Easy Homeschool Science Activity.

      MARCH Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Then at the first hint of spring, we focus on the American Robin and because not all is green yet, we have loved doing one about carnivorous plants.

      Also, carnivorous plants can be studied in the summer too.

      26 free nature unit studies for multiple ages. Easy nature unit studies as a way to make science come alive. Nature unit studies not only revive burn out in students, but they’re cost effective and memorable. CLICK HERE to grab 26 free homeschool nature unit studies for multiple ages that can easily be used for a year as free curriculum!

      Strawberries are springs first fruit so it’s a great time to go berry picking, canning and of course a hands-on and yummy unit study.

      15. American Robin Free Printables, Resources and Crafts

      16. Strawberry Unit Study

      Also, life cycles, migration, buds, flowers, gardening and baby animals make fun nature study ideas.

      APRIL Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Because spring is in full bloom here in Texas, there are many topics we’d still love to do during this month. Viewing wildflowers is one we love.

      Although we love to focus on birds during winter, this is a great time for a bird unit study too.

      17. Free Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook

      18. Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary)

      In addition, learning about eggs, insects, bugs, clouds and meadows are also fun ideas.

      MAY Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Next, May is a great time to be outdoors and to study about toads or frogs. Making it a general study like amphibians and reptiles is good too.

      The Basement Workshop Store

      Sometimes you want to just focus on one reptile like a snake or turtle instead of covering so much general information.

      Moreover, focusing on small mammals versus large mammals can go along with a zoo field trip when animals will be out.

      19. Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids

      20. Amazon Rainforest and Free Lapbooks

      21. Loads of Toads and Frogs Unit Study and Lapbook

      As well as studying about ants or doing a nature discovery walk during this month. Before the summer months set in completely, a wind unit study is great at this time too.

      Also, add literature to your nature studies trough Literary Adventures for Kids. Scroll down to see all the book choices from early elementary up to high school.

      It’s so easy to round out your nature unit studies.

      I love these self-paced online books which is a language arts curriculum that is easy to implement and fun to experience — an adventure through a great book!

      Look at a few choices below.

      JUNE Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Finally, getting to the summer months makes for great ideas about sun, watermelon, seashells and ocean life. Take a deep dive into learning different types of grasses.

      Nature-Based Lessons

      We have studied these topics at other times of the year, but getting to the beach and beach combing are just more fun in the warm months.

      Younger kids love the topic of rainbows.

      22. Super Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook

      23. Carnivorous Plants

      Any type of water study makes it a natural way to learn in the summer months.

      JULY Nature Unit Studies and Ideas

      Next, topics like sand or pollinators are more great unit study ideas. Also, by focusing on area of sea life like coral reefs can make an ocean unit study more memorable.

      Gardening ideas are great for most summer months too.

      24 Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook

      25. Coral Reef Unit Study and Lapbook

      26. Peregrine Falcon Unit Study and Lapbook

      Find out when berries ripe in your area for another fun hands-on topic.

      Also, look at these fun activities Beware of Ocean Pollution: Fun Science Activity for Kids and How to Dissolve a Seashell – Beach Hands-on Fun Activity.

      Unit studies are my favorite way to teach and the homeschool approach my kids loved best.

      A unit study approach works for a child that wants to master a subject and move on or for a kid that wants to dawdle and poke around a subject.

      Easy and fun nature unit studies don’t usually require too much in the way of materials. Just learn in and learn about the great outdoors. What are some of your fun and easy nature unit study topics?

      Look below for more hands-on nature study activities to go with each unit study above:

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

      | 1 Comment
      This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

      Why bats are not birds fun homeschool unit study and lapbook is an easy way to do a unit study with multiple ages of children. Also, you’ll love my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

      Too, I’m mentoring Mr. Munch King now and he is doing kindergarten/first grade level work.

      However, you know there are many bat activities to find for younger kids, but not so much for older kids. My lapbook is geared toward older kids.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

      I know you’ll love these activities and unit study resources for a fun bat unit study.

      Free Bat Unit Study

      (A bat) . . . is no bird but a winged mouse; for she creeps with her wings, is without feathers, and flyeth with kinde of skin, as bees and flies do; excepting that the Bats wings hath a farre thicker and stronger skin.
And this creature thus mungrell-like cannot look very lovely.

By John Swan
      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.
      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

      Bats are located on nearly every continent and make up 25 % of the mammal species found in the world. There are over 1400 species of bats.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds

      However, bats are not birds. Bats are mammals and belong to the group Chiroptera. Chiroptera means “hand-wing,” referring to how the finger bones support its wings.

      What is a Mammal?

      Because a bat is a mammal, look at these characteristics of a mammals.

      • They are vertebrate animals that nourish their young with milk.
      • All are warm-blooded.
      • At some stage in their development, they have hair, although sometimes it can disappear before birth.
      • True mammals give birth to live young.

      Bats are the only mammal capable of flight. Several other mammals are capable of gliding for long distances.

      On the other hand, birds belong to the group Aves. So bats are not featherless birds.

      Bats are divided into two types of sizes: Megachiroptera, which means large bat, and Microchiroptera, which means small bat.

      Further, look at some of these features of bats:

      • they sleep by day
      • they fly by night
      • in bone structure, a bat’s arm and hand are similar to other mammals
      • as mammals they give birth to live young and nurse them

      Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind. They do have small eyes and sensitive vision.

      In addition, bats come in a variety of sizes and species.

      The Bumblebee Bat of Thailand weighs a third less than a penny and is the smallest mammal in the world. Cutest bat ever!

      It’s also called Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat and they are found mostly in Thailand.

      The Bumblebee species is named after Kitti Thonglongya, a Thai zoologist who discovered them.

      Look at some more facts here about the Bumblebee Bat.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.
      Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat :World’s Smallest Mammal

      However, a few other reasons why bats are not birds are because birds lay eggs and forage to care for their young. Also, bats have sharp teeth and birds do not have teeth but have beaks.

      Bird and bats both fly and have strong skeletons which aids them to be strong flyers.

      Blind As Bats – How Bats See

      Too, you often hear people say blind as bats. Is this true? Bats are nocturnal animals. Nocturnal means being active at night rather than during the day.

      However, bats have excellent eyesight. Some bats hunt by using eyesight alone.

      So bats are not blind. They can see better at night than humans, however echolocation is their most important sense when hunting.

      Bats use echolocation to find their prey.

      Look at this fun echolocation activity to do with younger kids.

      About Echolocation

      When a bat is flying, it makes a series of high-pitched squeaks that humans can’t hear. They make squeaks, chirps, clicks, and buzzes through their mouths or noses.

      Since these sounds range from 25,000 to 70,000 vibrations a second, humans with an auditory range up to only about 30,000 vibrations can’t hear most of the sounds.

      The sounds hit an object and bounce back to the bat, just like an echo. How do bats avoid collisions?

      We don’t know exactly, but it’s possible that each animal has its individual sound pattern and is guided only by its own echoes.

      Many bats have large ears or specialized ear shapes, which is thought to help with echolocation (location of objects by reflected sound).

      How Bats Fly

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

      Attribution:
      Andrew Mercer (www.baldwhiteguy.co.nz)

      While bats are exceedingly graceful in flight, when they fold their wings and walk they are extremely awkward creatures.

      As bats skim over the surface of the water, they lap up water as they fly.

      .

      If you observe bats closely when they leave their roost at dusk, you can observe their wings.

      Bats’ wings beat much stronger and longer than those of birds.

      Unlike birds, bats have a hard time taking off from the ground. They fly better by already being in the air.

      Bats’ Bodies

      The bodies of bats, excluding the wings, are covered with fur. While the fur of most mammals is smooth, bat fur consists of small tubes. It is the finest of all fur and in addition has the greatest numbers of hairs per square inch.

      Since most bats fly at night and roost in dark places during the day, they have little need for protective coloration.

      The majority of Chiroptera are dull colored, shades of black, brown, gray, and red predominantly.

      The bat’s body structure, strong chest muscles, tapering abdomen, short neck and modified forearms is specially formed to support and operate the wings.

      So, bats with long and narrow wings fly swiftly; those with large wingspreads are capable of long flights.

      However, regardless of the shape of the wings, the design of the bones of the forearm is common to all bats.

      The four elongated fingers radiate and support the membrane a short thumb extends beyond the forward part of the wing and is like sharp hooked claw.

      A claw also protrudes from the second finger of most fruit bats.

      Where Do Bats Live – Bat Barracks

      Bats live in all kinds of places: Caves, tall trees, barns, attics, and garages. They also roost, they do not build nests. However, the majority of bats roost in dark places.

      In warm regions, caves have curved corridors which prevents the penetration of light.

      Also, while insect eating bats prefer dark retreats like caves, culverts and hollow trees, fruit bats in general do not.

      A few bats have unusual homes. Certain African and Indian species share the burrow of the crested porcupine.

      In addition, some bats migrate for the winter and some sleep during the winter months.

      Also, look at these fun ideas and free lesson plans about caves at Homeschool on the Range.

      Bat Babies

      Although most bats mate in the autumn, their young are not born until spring. The majority of bats have one baby at a time.

      The only bat to have more than two consistently is the American red bat which can have a litter of four.

      In spring, the females go off by themselves to have their young. When the baby is about to be born, the mother hangs on the ceiling of a cave or in some other sheltered placed.

      She holds on by her thumbs and her back legs, making a basket to keep the newborn bat from falling. Baby bats are tiny pink creatures when they are born, with little or no hair.

      They are almost two weeks old before their eyes open. The baby clings tightly to its mother for the first week or so. It uses its hooked milk teeth and little claws to cling to her breasts and fur.

      Mothers take their baby along with her when they go hunting. Since bats are good fliers, this is no problem. When the baby bats get too heavy, the mother leaves it hanging by its back feet.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

      Baby Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus)
      Attribution: Mickey Samuni-Blank

      Eastern Red Bat with three babies
      Attribution: Josh Henderson

      Why Do Bats Sleep Upside Down

      Bats hang upside down because their knees only bend backwards, making it impossible for them to hang in other position.

      However, there is a variation in the sleeping pattern of different species.

      Bats that sleep in the open fold their wings which are crisscrossed. On the other hand, cave-dwelling bats do not use their wings as sunshades.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

      Hands-on Bat Crafts and Treats

      Next, nothing brings a unit study to life more than fun hands-on ways to learn about bats.

      Look at these hands-on bat activities and crafts.

      Look at this fun printable bat template craft which helps with cutting skills.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.
      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

      Also, we made a coffee filter bat with just a few fun things we had on hand. We mostly followed the instructions at Woo Jr.

      You just need markers, a clothes pin, paint, and some markers along with scissors. So much fun.

      Free Bat Printables

      In addition, I’ve rounded up some free and fun bat printables for this bat unit study.

      Image Attribution: Wise Owl Factory. (Please Pin from original sources)

      Download this Free Printable Bat Diagram Work Page.

      About Bats on YouTube and Media

      Books About Bats

      Whether fiction or non-fiction, your kids will love some of these books about bats.

      MORE Bat Activities and Science Ideas

      • Look at this site Bat Week. Bat Week is an annual celebration of the role of bats in nature.
      • Plant a Bat Garden
      • Learn about bats in relation to the lunar cycle and study about moon phases. Look at this fun printable stackable moon phases. Also, make these fun Oreo moon phases.
      • Learn about echolocation and play a game where you blindfold one child. You tap on something in the room or have another child and see if the blindfolded “bat” can locate the sound.
      • Also, look at this mammals’ organ dissection kit for older kids if you want to focus on mammals
      • Also, go to Smithsonian Institute for Bat Facts
      • National Geographic Kids Bat Myths Busted
      • Make blood. Although only three species consume blood, it’s fun to learn how they do it without their prey knowing. Compare human blood to animal blood. Are there any differences? Too, vampire bats only suck blood normally from other animals. This is fun hands-on activity for learning about human blood.

      Further, you’ll love these Montana Field Guides for various species:

      • Big Brown Bat
      • Eastern Red Bat
      • Little Brown Bat
      • Long-eared Myotis
      • Silver-haired Bat
      • Spotted Bat
      • Townsend’s Big-eared Bat

      Bat Predators and Prey

      Bats have few predators compared to other mammals, but diseases are harmful. Owls are one predator because they hunt at night. However, snakes and hawks eat bats too.

      The bat hawk (Machaeramphus alcinus) is one such hawk. Watch this YouTube video Predators of Bats. Bats have to look out for other raptors like red-tailed hawks and orange-breasted falcons.

      Also, did you know there is a bat falcon? The bat falcon eats other rodents too, but also hunts bats.

      However, nothing compares to the white-nose syndrome disease. The disease is named for a white fungus on the muzzle and wings of bats.

      Around the world bats eat fruit, nectar, frogs, mice, fish, blood, and insects.

      Bats as Pollinators

      Bats provide many important things and one is spreading pollen. About 50 bat species feed just on nectar. Others are omnivores, feeding on fruit and insects as well as nectar.

      So, when bats visit flowers for food they spread pollen. Bats are primary nighttime pollinators. Bats pollinate over 300 species of fruit like banana, mango, guava and tequila agave.

      From the U.S. Forest site:

      The flowers that are visited by bats are typically:

      • Open at night;
      • Large in size (1 to 3.5 inches);
      • Pale or white in color;
      • Very fragrant, a fermenting or fruit-like odor; and/or
      • Copious dilute nectar.
      Bat covered in pollen.

      More Bat Activities

      Bat Quiz

      All bats are carnivores.

      False-A large group of bats, known as megachiroptera live on fruit and pollen. Most of the bats in the U.S. are insectivores.

      Bats fly around your head and get tangled in you hair.

      False-Bats may come in for a closer look but are far too smart to get tangled in your hair.

      Vampire bats are huge bloodsucking bats that are all over the world.

      False-Vampire bats are small bats that live only in South America. They don’t suck blood-they lick it up after making a cut with their teeth.

      The world’s largest bats have a wingspan of nearly seven feet.

      True-Flying foxes have a wingspan that can reach nearly seven feet.

      Few More Bat Books

      Furthermore, once you start looking, you’ll find a mix of fiction and non-fiction books about bats for all ages.

      I used an older book I have, Wonders of the Bat World by Sigmund A. Lavine. to guide me for content for the lapbook.

      Batty About Art

      Then, here is a fun and easy arts and craft project for the younger kids.

      Make some fun silhouette art by using sponge painting and a template on cardstock.

      This idea was found here at how to make bat silhouette art.

      Also, look at this black bat silhouette watercolor lesson.

      Bat Poetry

      Next, no unit study is complete without a focus on some fun language arts.

      Look at this poem, The Bat by Theodore Roethke.

      By day the bat is cousin to the mouse.
      He likes the attic of an aging house.

      His fingers make a hat about his head.
      His pulse beat is so slow we think him dead.

      He loops in crazy figures half the night
      Among the trees that face the corner light.

      But when he brushes up against a screen,
      We are afraid of what our eyes have seen:

      For something is amiss or out of place
      When mice with wings can wear a human face.

      And then look at these questions to focus on the meaning:

      1. Why does he compare what the bat does during the day with the night? He possibly may be conveying the idea that the bat is misunderstood and is just a simple elegant creature or is the writer conveying that everyone has a side we never see?
      2. What are two metaphors in the poem? a) When mice with wings can wear a human face. We may view the bat as a dark creature, but the writer wants us to know that they can be like humans. b) By day the bat is cousin to the mouse. The writer compares the bat to the mouse to help us see bats through his eyes as something familiar and not dark like many tales about bats.
      3. Did you notice the writer alludes to both a bat’s sight and hearing which are of great interest to us?

      Try a little Batty Math

      Next, this fun video is a great way to practice observation skills for any age.

      From the site: Count the bats — how do your skills compare to a bat biologist’s?

      World War II Project X-Ray and Bats

      Project X is a plan conceived by the Unit States Army to use bats to destroy enemy installations during World War II. It may seem outlandish, but two million dollars was spent on perfecting the Project X plan.

      Bat Bomb Canister

      Scientist and members of the armed forces captured thousands of bats in New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns. Then a one-ounce bomb which produced a 22-inch flame and burned for eight minutes was harnessed to each bat.

      The bats were put into crates with parachutes and loaded onto airplanes. The airplanes dropped the crates on testing sites and the parachutes opened at 1,000 feet automatically.

      The bats then flew to a roost, often a cave or eaves of a building. Then they chewed off their harness and flew away, leaving the bombs behind which exploded. They destroyed many “town testing sites”.

      Whether they actually used the bats or not is a military secret.

      Bat Viewing Spots

      A zoo is a great place to view bats both common and rare species. If you are on a lake or stream at dusk, watch bats as they as they skim over the surface of the water. You’ll notice them lap up water as they fly.

      Bracken Cave here in Texas right outside of San Antonio is the summer home of more than 20 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats. It is a must visit. (Please note, the land is privately owned by Bat Conservation and you need to make arrangements to visit.).

      Read more about Bracken Cave here on National Geographic.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook. Your kids will love studying about bats in the fall or anytime. Hands-on ideas for multiple ages to learn about the various kinds of bats. Grab the unit study ideas for multiple ages and the bat lapbook for older kids. CLICK HERE to grab it at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

      Bats are amazing creatures! For many years, people thought bats were diseased, dirty and evil. In general, bats are very helpful creatures.

      Farmers even set out bat houses so that bats will roost there and protect their crops from massive insects.

      Despite superstition, bats are usually peaceful creatures. They are the only flying mammal with a unique miniaturized sonar system.

      Bat Lapbook

      Your kids will love this fun lapbook. As I mentioned earlier, I know many activities exist for younger kids, so I gear my lapbooks toward older kids. This lapbook is aimed for upper elementary to middle school. However, because you get the same lapbook in two ways – one which has minibooks with facts filled in and the other one with blank minibooks, you can really use this lapbook for ANY age.

      If you’re using it for high school, you can count the hours as part of a science credit and if you want to give a grade to the project itself, you decide.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

      Awesome Features of the Bat Lapbook:

      • Aimed at upper elementary to middle school, but the lapbook with blank minibooks could be used for high school.
      • This is a .pdf  instant downloadable product and not a physical product.
      • You are paying for the printables, the lapbook.
      • My lapbooks are created for multiple ages.
      • Most of the minibooks have facts which accompany the minibook and a lot of the minibook are offered two ways. One way where your child uses the facts provided and another way where your child can add his own research and not use the inside pages.
      • You can use any reference materials, books, or online resources to complete the lapbook.
      • I don’t provide links in the lapbooks for filling in the information. This keeps my prices low for my products, but I do try to provide free links on my site as I can.
      • Because I have been a working homeschool mom for more of my journey than not, I need flexibility for using lapbooks. Proving a few facts from the main resource I use is one way I have of saving you time and giving you flexibility in how to use the minibooks.
      • Too, some of your kids may be older and you want them to do more research and some of your kids may be reluctant writers so you may want to mix and match pre-filled minibooks with blank minibooks. Flexibility is the key to my lapbooks.

      Bat Lapbook

      MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. I value your business and value you as a follower. I stand behind my products because they are actual products I use and benefit from too. Though I cannot refund purchases after you have been given access to them, I will do what I can to be sure you are a pleased customer. Read carefully what you get on your digital download.

      Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

      You’ll love my other free unit studies below:

      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

      | 4 Comments
      This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

      Studying the history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and Chisholm Trail is a fun and fascinating one. Cowboys, cattle drives and the Chisholm Trail all embody the spirit of a Texan.

      Being born and raised in Texas, I grew up going to rodeos, knowing about cattle drives, and watching wide open spaces of grazing cattle as the norm.

      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Free Unit Study

      As a native Texan too, my husband grew up with ranching and rodeoing in his life and family.

      He comes from a family of cowboys.

      I couldn’t wait to do a unit study focused on the history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and the Chisholm Trail.

      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

      With fond memories, I recall the first time I heard the poem Cattle by Berta Hart Nance (1883-1958).

      Other states were carved or born,
      Texas grew from hide and horn.

      Other states are long and wide,
      Texas is a shaggy hide.

      Dripping blood and crumpled hair;
      Some fat giant flung it there,

      Laid the head where valleys drain,
      Stretched its rump along the plain.

      Other soil is full of stones,
      Texans plow up cattle-bones.

      Herds are buried on the trail,
      Underneath the powdered shale;

      Herds that stiffened like the snow,
      Where the icy northers go.

      Other states have built their halls,
      Humming tunes along the walls,

      Texans watched the mortar stirred
      While they kept the lowing herd.

      Stamped on Texan wall and roof
      Gleams the sharp and crescent hoof.

      High above the hum and stir
      Jingle bridle rein and spur.

      Other states were carved or born,
      Texas grew from hide and horn.

      A lot of Texans view their state differently from how other states grew. After the American Civil War, it was cattle which helped to make Texas grow.

      Also, ranching was a big part of Texas growth.

      This study is about the grit, hardiness, and stubbornness early Texans embodied and how they passed it down to our generation.

      So in this history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and Chisholm Trail, I’ve rounded up some helpful resources to teach your kids about Texas.

      Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

      I aimed at resources for elementary ages to about middle school, but as with all my resources you decide which ages to use them for.

      The American Civil War {1861-1865} had almost destroyed the United States, but by 1867 the United States found peace again.

      Long-horned cattle, which were introduced in part by the Spanish roamed freely upon the plains.

      Ranchers noticed that the longhorn turned out to be particularly well adapted to the harsh and arid conditions in the West. 

      So thousands of head of cattle were rounded up from pastures in southern and central Texas and herded hundreds of miles north to Kansas.

      Cattle drives were a celebrated event of this time period.

      Between fascination with the American legend of a cowboy and a transitional time period in American history this brief, but captivating moment in history attracts learners of any age.

      Too, with the invention of refrigerated railroad cars in the 1870’s it also made it possible to ship fresh beef anywhere in the country.

      I used the Texas Chisholm Trail by the Texas Historical Commission to use as a guide for this lapbook. It’s a free wonderful educator’s guide, but of course you can use any resource you have.

      First, there were at least four cattle drives during the 19th century. They were the The Chisholm Trail, The Goodnight-Loving Trail, The Western Trail and The Shawnee Trail.

      The Chisholm Trail has at least 7 names: Abilene Trail, the Cattle Trail, the Eastern Trail, the Great Texas Cattle Trail, the Kansas Trail, McCoy’s Trail and the Texas Chisholm Trail.

      Lesson Plans History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

      Texas Size Vocabulary Words

      • Cattle Kingdom – An industry based on cattle ranching that arose on the open range from Texas to Canada during the 1800s.
      • Texas Rangers – Law enforcement to keep the law in frontier Texas.
      • Tejanos – A person of Mexican heritage, but considers Texas home.
      • King Ranch – Ranch in South Texas that is one of the most important cattle operations in the state.
      • brands – identification marks on livestock made with burning irons
      • barbed wire – a wire used in fencing that is made with points, or barbs, placed at intervals to prevent livestock from crossing the fence
      • vaqueros – from vaca (cow) cowboy
      • wrangler – one who herds or cares for livestock on the range
      • XIT Ranch – Ranch established by the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company which was funded by investors from Chicago and Great Britain.
      • Longhorn – a hybrid breed of cattle that descended from Spanish and English stock; the main breed used in Texas ranching

      Field Trip Ideas for History of Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives and Chisholm Trail

      • We love visiting the Barrington Plantation which is the last home of Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas. They have a fun program for homeschoolers which includes hand-on activity.
      • The Star of the Republic Museum is on the same property as the Barrington Farm.
      • Varner Hogg Plantation. Yes, it’s true Gov. James Hogg named his daughter Ima Hogg.
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Free Unit Study

      Hands-on Ideas For a Texas Unit Study

      Next, you’ll love a few ideas for some hands-on fun to study about Texas.

      Field Trip to Washington on the Brazos, Star of the Republic Museum, Barrington Farms and Buckhorn Museum/Texas Ranger Museum
      (don’t miss any of these places)

      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail 1
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Star of the Republic Museum
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Buckhorn Museum
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Barrington Farms Anson Jones Home Republic of Texas
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Learn about brands
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Barrington Farm
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Texas Rangers
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Chuck Wagon at Buckhorn Museum
      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
      Chuck Wagon at Buckhorn Museum San Antonio, Tx

      PURCHASE THE LAPBOOK BELOW:

      History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

      Look at these other fun ideas:

      Hugs and love ya,