I have five easy bat stem activities today and a stem bat habitat craft. Also, I have more fun ideas for all ages on my post Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook.
We are also going to build a bat habitat diorama that is perfect for upper elementary through middle schoolers.
You can use the building the bat habitat as a launching pad for talking about:
- the different species of bats,
- their habitats,
- what they need in a habitat,
- various places they are located, and
- many other bat topics.
First, look at these bat facts.
5 Bat Habitat Facts
- Bracken Cave, which is located on the northern outskirts of San Antonio, is home to the world’s largest bat colony, filled with more than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats.
- When bats are most active during the spring and summer, they live in colonies of between 25 and 35 individuals.
- There are more than 40 species of bats living in the United States in deserts, woodlands, suburban communities, and cities.
- Depending on the species, bats seek out a variety of retreats during the day such as caves, old buildings, rock crevices, bridges, mines, and trees.
- To hang upside down, a bat will fly into position, open their claws, and find a surface to grip onto. The bat simply lets its body relax to let the talons grab hold. Then, the weight of the bat’s upper body pulls down on the tendons that are connected to the talons, creating a grip.
Also, add some of these resources about bats to your unit study or learning day.
9 Books and Resources for Kids Who Love Bats
Add some of these fun books and resources about bats for a hands-on day of learning.
Knocked from her mother’s safe embrace by an attacking owl, Stellaluna lands headfirst in a bird’s nest. This adorable baby fruit bat’s world is literally turned upside down when she is adopted by the occupants of the nest and adapts to their peculiar bird habits. Two pages of notes at the end of the story provide factual information about bats. “Delightful and informative but never didactic; a splendid debut.”--Kirkus Reviews
They live in spooky caves, in forests, even in the dark reaches of ordinary attics and bridges. They flock by the hundreds, and they sleep while hanging upside down! In this beautifully photographed Level 2 Reader, kids learn about one of the most interesting creatures around—and discover the bat’s unique place in the wild and in the world. The high-interest topic, expertly written text, and bonus learning activity lay the groundwork for a successful and rewarding reading experience.
See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.
Though people often think of bats as scary, bats are really shy, gentle animals. There are nearly 1000 different species of bats, and they live on every continent except Antarctica. Some are tiny, but the giant flying fox bat has a five-foot wingspan! Popular science author Gail Gibbons also discusses the efforts to protect the world's only truly flying mammals. A final page offers additional facts.
The natural history and evolution of bats- Important identifying features- Habitats, migration patterns, and common mating practices- The status of various endangered bat species
Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species explores bats and their fundamental role in our ecosystems through lavish full-color photographs and lively narrative. From the Giant Golden Crowned Flying Fox, a megabat with a wingspan of more than five feet, to the aptly named Bumblebee Bat, the world's smallest mammal, the number and diversity of bat species have proven to be both rich and underestimated. Nocturnal, fast-flying, and secretive, bats are difficult to observe and catalog. This richly illustrated handbook presents bats' evolution, biology, behavior, and ecology. It offers in-depth profiles of four hundred megabats and microbats and detailed summaries of all the species identified to date. Complete with an introduction exploring bats' natural history and their unique adaptations to life on the wing, Bats includes close-up images of these animals' delicate and intricate forms and faces, each shaped by evolution to meet the demands of an extraordinarily specialized life.
Stuffed animals are the perfect gift for any age or occasion.
Stories and science surrounding the beloved bat, from an ecologist who has dedicated his life to the curious creature.
Few people realize how sophisticated and intelligent bats are. Merlin Tuttle knows, and he has stopped at nothing to find and protect them on every continent they inhabit. Sharing highlights from a lifetime of adventure and discovery, Tuttle takes us to the frontiers of bat research to show that frog-eating bats can identify frogs by their calls, that some bats have social sophistication similar to that of higher primates, and that bats have remarkable memories. Bats also provide enormous benefits by eating crop pests, pollinating plants, and carrying seeds needed for reforestation. They save farmers billions of dollars annually and are essential to a healthy planet. Tuttle’s account
forever changes the way we see these poorly understood yet fascinating creatures.
REALISTIC AND SAFE EXPERIENCE – Made out of gelatin-like material that is absolutely safe for children, our Dissect-It Bat gives the realistic experience of a dissection without the use of a real bat!
Next, add some of these fun bat stem activities for hands-on learning.
Bat Stem Activities
- Chiropterology is the scientific study of bats. Have your child choose one bat in particular and study it with reference books and online. Have them write a paragraph or complete an entire paper and draw a picture or make a painting to go along with it.
- This Bat Labeling Activity is most appropriate for elementary age but you can adapt your own to make it more detailed for older children.
- Watch –Experience: Bracken Cave Preserve to see an overview of the entire preserve including thousands of bats in flight. But, if you want to focus just on the bats as they leave their cave in search of food, watch Bats emerge from Bracken Cave Preserve.
- Create a challenge with the M (Math) in stem with this Bat Math worksheet.
- Challenge your child to build a bat house with or without your help, you can find instructions at How to Build a Bat House With Kids. This is a great opportunity to incorporate math, engineering, and science when you research the bats in your area.
More Bat Activities
Add a few more hands-on learning about bats for all ages with these activities.
- Fun Bat Anatomy Toilet Paper Roll Craft | 8 Bat Science Activities Preschool
- 4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten
- Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook
Finally, look how to build this creative bat habitat.
Create a STEM Bat Habitat
You will need:
- Shoe or another cardboard box
- Lightweight spackling (Dollar Tree)
- Craft paint
- Small plastic bats (Rings from Dollar Tree)
- Moss (Dollar Tree)
- Small rocks
- Hot glue gun/sticks
- Craft glue
First, cut your box so that it has a front opening, leaving just a little to form the curved opening of the cave.
I used a shoe box with an attached lid but you can do it with any type of box you have on hand.
Paint the inside and outside the box with browns, grays, and tans to create a rock look.
It doesn’t need to be perfect; we are going to cover most of it, you just want to give it a good background.
Be sure to get the ceiling of your cave as well.
Let the paint dry.
While you are waiting if you use bat rings like I did, you can cut off the ring portion and set them aside.
When the paint is dry, mix up some paint in the spackling using a craft stick, right in the container.
You are going to need the whole thing, maybe more depending on the size of your box.
I did not mix mine well because I wanted some variations in color like natural rocks.
Use the craft stick or paintbrush to smear the spackling inside and outside of the box.
Also, use a paintbrush to poke and brush it to give some more texture.
Allow the spackling to dry for at least an hour.
Make little puddles in the roof of the cave with hot glue, and press bats into it, it may melt the feet just a bit but that’s okay you won’t see them anyway.
I wanted it to look like our bats were just starting to take off, so I glued some to the back of the cave and out the outer edges as well.
Make puddles of glue on top of the box and add moss and small pebbles.
Finally, add some small stones or pebbles and moss to the bottom edge of the cave.
