On this page you'll
find ideas and activities for studying bats, plus songs, poems, and suggested
books. To find out more about a book, click on the cover or the title to
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Many of the books and activities I use
in my Going Batty unit are listed below, along with some great ideas contributed
by KinderKorner mailing list members. If you have any projects, books
or poems to suggest, please send me a note at kndrcorner@aol.com.
Have a great time teaching and learning about bats!
Getting
Started
I begin my bat unit by reading Stellaluna,
and discussing what it means to be both alike and different. Stellaluna
is a great springboard for discussions of how alike we all are, while still
remaining unique. We brainstorm lists of ways that we are like each
other, and then students work in pairs discussing the ways they are alike
and different.
This is much easier to do with kinderkids
than I had expected, and they are anxious to share what they've learned
about themselves and each other. As they share with the whole group,
I made a mini-chart for each pair of students, to help them remember their
list of traits, likes, and dislikes. Over the next few days, I meet
with each pair of students again, and help them write a book about their
similiarities and differences ... we discuss their original list, they
decide on a few sentences that I write for them, and then they make the
illustrations. This is a wonderful experience and the books are very
popular in our classroom library.
Stellaluna
Follow Up Activities
After reading Stellaluna, we discuss
what we know about bats and what we'd like to learn. I make a Language
Experience chart that will help guide us through the rest of our study
of bats. Sometimes I make a bulletin board with individual bat facts
written on black construction paper bats that the kids cut out. Other
times we hang the bat facts bats from the ceiling, making our room into
a bat cave. Whatever we end up doing, we learn a lot and it's lots
of fun!
Make a Venn diagram
comparing bats and birds.
Make a Stellaluna stick puppet or paper
bag puppet.
Using simple masks, let children act
out the story.
Use the following writing frame, and
have children illustrate their sentence: Stellaluna looked far below
her. She saw __________.
Stellaluna Fruit
Stick Snacks
Make fruit kabobs on popsicle sticks,
using banana slices, grapes, melon chucks and mango pieces.
Make a graph of who likes each kind
of fruit.
Using large cardboard boxes -- or tables
and blankets -- make a Bat Cave. Let the children use
it for dramatic play and for reading books about bats.
In December, the Bat Cave becomes a Bear Cave for Winter hibernation.
Read The
Ugly Duckling and discuss how the swan is like Stellaluna. Make a Venn diagram comparing the two
stories.
Baby bat Stellaluna's life is flitting
along right on schedule - until an owl attacks her mother one night, knocking
the bewildered batlet out of her mother's loving grasp. The tiny bat
is lucky enough to land in a nest of baby birds, but her whole world has
just turned upside down. Literally. Stellaluna's adoptive bird mom
accepts her into her nest, but only on the condition that Stellaluna will
act like a bird, not a bat ...
Stellaluna An American Bookseller's Book of the Year and a Reading Rainbow
selection The warm and wonderful story of Stellaluna is one that my students
enjoy hearing over and over again. I introduce it in October, and
we read it all year long. Highly recommended. Aslo available
in a Big
Book Edition
... Soon Stellaluna has learned to behave like a good bird should - she quits hanging
by her feet and starts eating bugs. But when she finally has an opportunity
to show her bird siblings what life as a bat is like, all of them are confounded.
"How can we be so different and feel so much alike?" one asks. "And how
can we feel so different and be so much alike?" asks another. "I agree,"
Stellaluna responds. "But we're friends. And that's a fact."
Stellaluna Hardcover Book and Puppet 30% off publisher's price
Stellaluna
Plush Toy This adorable, 5-inch-tall, high-quality plush bat, can hang upside
down off of your finger if you Velcro her feet together. You can also make
her flap around freely with her exquisitely crafted wings that boast a
14-inch wingspan. If she's tired after a long day of playing, she can even
fold her wings around herself!
Stellaluna
and Other Bat
Stories Audio Cassette Edition Includes narrator David Holt's story "Why The Bat Flies at Night"
and another bat story by "Courduroy" author Don Freeman, "Hattie, The Backstage
Bat." The program concludes with bat facts. Also available on audio
CD.
Bat
Facts
1.
Bats are the only flying mammals and comprise the second largest order
of mammals in the world.
2.
A bat's grasp is strong enough to hold its entire body weight while its
body hangs upside down.
3.
Along with whales, dolphins, and some shrew species many bats use echolocation
(sonar dependent on pulse sounds and echoes) to identify and track prey.
4.
Diet: fruits, flowers, leaves, insects, frogs, fish, small mammals,
reptiles, blood of vertebrates.
5.
Just one insectivorous bat can eat 600 or more mosquitoes in a single hour.
6.
Bats live between 4 and 30 years, depending on species.
7.
In the United States nearly 40% of our bat species are listed by USFWS
as endangered species or are candidates for it.
8.
Fruit and nectar-eating bats are among the most important seed dispersers
and pollinators of tropical rain forest trees and plants.
9.
Less than 1/2 of 1 percent of bats have rabies.
10. Bats are not
blind.
11. Bat babies
are called pups.
Books
About Bats
Bat
Jamboree Make way for the Acro-Bats! 55 bats put on an annual jamboree with fun and costumes, while introducing
children to number, rhyme, and counting. Under $4. Also available
in hardcover.
Zipping,
Zapping, Zooming Bats Introducing bats as insect eaters, Earle puts their prodigious appetites
in terms that children will understand: "Each night a bat chomps half its
own weight in bugs. If you weigh 60 pounds, that's like eating 125 peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches every day." Under $4 and highly recommended!
Bats
on Parade Another lively story from the author of Bat
Jamboree, this one introduces multiplication facts through rhyme and
illustrations. Delightful reading!
The
Bat in the Boot In a story based on a real-life incident, two children find a baby
bat in their father's boot; they protect and care for the animal until
evening, when the mother bat returns to rescue her little one.
Batbaby A charming picture book about a young bat's first solo flight.
The
Bat-Poet Although the bat-poet may look like a furry mouse with wings, he
swells with an artistic sensibility. One day, he discovers how amazing
it is to stay awake during daylight hours, exploring things mostly unseen
by standard, nocturnal bats. A wonderful read-aloud story. Under
$5.
Beautiful
Bats Hard science with soft watercolor illustrations make this book a
winner!
Bats: Creatures
of the Night All Aboard Reading, Level 2 An easy-to-read introduction to the world of bats, filled with fun
facts. Under $4.
One of our favorite
bat unit activities is making our own Bat T Shirts. Here's how we
do it:
Ask each child
to bring in light-colored T shirt (they don't have
to be new).
Using a large
bat sponge from Michael's Crafts, let each child
make a black bat print in the center of the front of their shirt. I use black acrylic
paint, mixed with a little fabric medium, so the paint
will stick better when the shirt is washed.
Have all the kids
put on their Bat Shirts. Go out to the
playground or park and hang upside down on the monkey
bars/climbing structure. Take lots of
photos of your Batty students!
More
Non Fiction Books About Bats
Bats Shadows
In The Night More than 50 full color photos, along with a personal account of
observing more than 20 million bats make their nightly flight from Bracken
Cave in Texas.
Bat Another wonderful book filled with detailed photos and information.
Another
student favorite in my class. (note: Amazon has the wrong book notes on
the page, but it's still the correct book and link :o)
Extremely
Weird Bats I was very disappointed to not be able to find a cover photo of
this wonderful book. There are 21 outstanding photos of very cool-looking
bats, and my students love this book!Great information, too.
Amazing
Bats Eyewitness Junior Series Explains how bats "see" in the dark, which bats eat fruit or insects and which suck blood,
and why some bats have "nose leaves," ear spikes, and other unusual facial
features.
Night
Creatures An introduction to nocturnal animals, with an emphasis on bats and
owls. Part of Scholastic's First Discovery Series.
Bats
and Other Animals of the Night An easy-to-read introduction to the world of nocturnal animals explains
why bats can catch tiny insects even on the darkest of nights, why cats'
eyes appear to glow in the dark, and other mysteries of the animal kingdom.
This is a fun
phonemic awareness exercise that my kids love ... and, yes, it
drives me Batty!
Remember the old
theme song to the Batman TV show? The one that
goes do do do do do
do do do do do do do do
do do Batman!
We sing it with
all the consonant sounds. b b b b b b b
b b b b b b b b Batman! c c c c c c c
c c c c c c c c Catman! d d d d d d d
d d d d d d d d Datman! f f f f f f f
f f f f f f f f Fatman!
No, I'm not going
to sing the whole thing for you! By now you get
the idea ...
Bat
Poems Many
of these poems came from various mail rings ... thanks to all who sent
them!
Bats
Are all bats hairy, scary things Rushing past on muffled wings, Out of caves into the night, On some silent, secret flight?
I think not! I think they're great! No matter size or shape or weight. From radio waves to airplane wings Bats can teach me many things.
Bats Are
Sleeping (tune: Frere Jacques)
Bats are sleeping Bats are sleeping Upside down. Upside down. Sleeping in the morning sun. Waiting for the night to come. Then they'll fly all around. Then they'll fly all around.
Baby
The baby bat Screamed out in fright, "Turn on the dark, I'm afraid of the light."
Two little bats hanging in a cave One named Dan, one named Dave Fly away Dan Fly away Dave Come back Dan, come back Dave!
Five Batty
Bats
Five batty bats Were hanging ‘neath the moon.
"Quiet!" said the first. "The witch is coming soon."
"She’s green," said the second, "With a purple pointy nose."
"Black boots," said the third, "Cover up her ugly toes."
"Her broom," said the fourth, "Can scratch you - that I know!"
"I’m scared," said the fifth. "I think we’d better go."
Five batty bats Escaped into the night.
"Dear me," said the witch. "That’s a scary sight!"
Little Bat
Small and furry, litle bat, fly through the sky at night. Listen, listen, little bat as echoes guide your flight. Swoop and dive, little bat, catch insects as you fly. Hurry, hurry, little bat, back to your nearby cave. Snug and warm, little bat, toes hold the ceiling light. Sleepy, sleepy, little bat, wrapped in your wings until night.
Bat
A bat can hang upside down It holds on with its toes When it wnts to find some food It spreads its wings and goes A bat might live inside a cave And fly around at night And when it's dark a bat knows how to get around all right.
Flying Bats
If I could hide inside this cave, What wondrous sights I'd see; Brown bats all hanging upside down Like dark leaves on a tree. Their mouths wide open as they fly, Shouting sounds as they go by; The echoes bounce off rocks and things. To help them steer their hunter's wings.
Spooky Bats
Spooky bats go flying at night, Flapping about in the pale moonlight. Spreading their wings, they're a scary sight! But truth be told, there's no need for fright.
Spooky bats are really not bad. They eat harmful insects, for which we're glad! They're somewhat shy, I might also add. But never grab one - it could get mad!
Spooky bats like to sleep in the day. They hang upside down and doze that way! Caves and trees are where they stay. Until it grows dark - then it's up and away.
Five Black
Bats By Shel Silverstein
Five black bats Ready to soar; One stayed behind, Now there are four. Four black bats Hanging from a tree; One fell down, Now there are three. Three black bats Wondering what to do; One flew away, Now there are two. Two black bats Sitting in the sun; One fell asleep, Leaving only one. One lonesome bat With no place to go, Went hiding in a cave, Now there are zero.
Amazing Bats
Amazing bats like to eat Thousands of bugs for a tasty treat. Flying through the moonlit air, Traveling here and traveling there. Hibernating when the weather's cold, Gathered with hundreds of friends, I'm told. Many bats are endangered, I'm sad to say There are fewer and fewer bats every day. Be kind to bats, that's the thing to do, Tell your friends and your family too!
Bats Are
Neat
Flying, flying in the sky, Bats are neat, I'll tell you why. Flying foxes are the tallest, Bumblebee bats are the smallest. Bats are yellow, red, and brown, Bats sleep hanging upside-down. Some eat bugs and some eat fruit, Some look mean and some look cute. Flying, flying in the sky, Bats are neat, now you know why!
Those Bats
They come in many colours, Flying through the nightime air. They use sonar to guide their way, Those bats are everywhere! They eat so many little bugs, The farmers love them so. But when the daylight comes along, Do you know where they go?
5 little bats came flying in the door, One flew away and that left only 4 4 little bats hiding in a tree, One flew away and that left 3 3 little bats looking down at you, One flew away and that left 2 2 little bats hiding from the sun, One flew away and that left just one. One little bat hanging all alone, He flew away and then there were none.
My bookstore pages
have lots of information on how I use various materials in my classroom,
and on activities you can do with your students. The thematic pages
are complete unit resources, with lots of poems, songs, and links on each
page. Make yourself comfortable and take a look around!
Choose from the
categories below. Underlined subjects
are links, the other ones are coming soon!
