Oct. 25, 2006: The Bat Caves

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Activities:

1. Draw a picture of a bat on a large piece of paper. Be sure to make the wings very full. On the wings, write at least three facts about the lives of bats.

2. Look through ads in the newspaper for pictures of Halloween bats. Cut out the bats and paste them on a piece of paper. Write a Halloween story about bats.

3. Write the word "bat" at the top of a piece of paper. Now cut out pictures or words from the newspaper that rhyme with "bat." Paste them on your paper.

4. How are each of these activities important for bats: (a) hanging upside down, (b) eating insects, (c) using echolocation, and (d) having creases on their faces?

5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about one of these
bats: the vampire bat, the bumblebee bat, the hoary bat and the brown bat. Use the questions to guide your research:

• How large is the bat?
• Where does it live?
• What does it eat?
• How is it useful to humans?
• How did it get its name?
• What are its numbers today?

Use your research to write a paragraph describing your bat.

This week's standards:

• Students understand the characteristics and life cycles of organisms. (Science: Life Science)
• Students understand the interactions of animals and their environments. (Science: Life Science)
  
  (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)