GO BATTY for BATS!

I'm BATTY for BATS! Bet by the time you finish these activities you will be too!



Besides Halloween is coming so it's the perfect time to go totally batty! 

I've written 4 books about bats...so far. Check them out!

About the biggest and littlest bats...and bats with really big or little features that help them thrive.

The "true" story of how an orphaned baby bat is adopted by a new mother. Mexican free-tailed bats really do adopt orphaned babies. 

All about bats and how their bodies are amazingly built for flight.

Why some bats are in trouble--plus how scientists are working to help bats survive.

Of course, that wasn't enough bats for me. So I also put bats in two of my Scholastic WHAT IF YOU HAD!? series. Look inside these to find the bats! 

NOW have some batty fun!

Visit My Cave

What's it like to live like a bat? FIND OUT!  

Cover a table on three sides with a blanket or paper to create a cave.  Have your family or a group of friends crawl inside your pretend cave with you. While you're there with this group, think about these questions.

WHAT DO YOU THINK!?

1. Why is a cave a good home for small bats, like Mexican Free-tailed Bats? 
2. Why do you think big bats, like Grey-Headed Flying Foxes, camp in the open in trees instead of in caves?
3. What are some problems to sharing a cave with other bats?

What Good Are Bats?

Check out the hand-like structure of a bat's wings.

Try this to find out.  

Take a large bowl of popcorn kernels to the gym or outdoors to a paved area of the playground.  Scatter 50 popped kernels on the floor or ground.  Count to ten. Then have people dash around placing two more popcorn kernels next to each original kernel.  This is as if the insect pests have multiplied.  

Now pretend you are an insect-hunting bat. Have four others pretend they are too.  While someone counts to five, have each “bat” pick up all of the insects (popcorn) they can carry.  Then have other children place two popcorn kernels next to each remaining kernel.  

Repeat these steps two more times, having “bats” collect “insects”.   Then have the remaining “insects” multiply.  

WHAT DO YOU THINK!?

• How much of an effect did the “bats” have on the “insect” population?
• What limited how much of an effect the bats could have on the insects? 
• What do you think would happen to populations of insect pests if there weren’t any bats?

Bats for Good Measure

Again, here's a good chance to see the arm and hand-like structure of a bat's wing.

The wingspan of the largest flying foxes can be up to 6 feet. Now, measure each of these things.  Find out how much longer or shorter each is compared to a large flying fox’s wingspan. 

• Your bed
• Your height
• Your armspan (from fingertip to fingertip with both arms stretched out)

The wingspan of the Bumblebee bat is 6 inches.  Take a piece of string that length.  Find out how much longer or shorter each is compared to a Bumblebee Bat’s wingspan.

• Your pencil
• Your foot
• Your right hand span (from thumb to little finger with your hand spread wide).  Draw around your hand span on a piece of paper. Then compare to your bat wing measuring string.

And to wrap up the batty fun. Here are a few bat riddles.  

Q: Which circus performers can see in the dark?
A: The acro-bats.

Q: What is the first thing a bat learns at school?
A: The alphabat.

Q: Where to young bats go potty?
A: In the batroom.