Have students study the anatomy of a bat and be able to identify its body parts. Interestingly, the “hands” (wings) of a bat look similar to human hands. A lesson on echolocation can explain how bats use reflected sound to navigate. Regarding aerodynamics, the unique wing structure of bats gives them a great deal of maneuverability in flight. Compare bats to birds and other animals.
Find out if your local zoo has bats that your students can see in person. Some zoos have school programs, which might send an expert to visit your classroom to talk about bats and possibly even bring one to show students.
Students can be assigned to research books about bats, both nonfiction and fiction. The classic novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker and the old Bela Lugosi movies are sure to hold students’ interest. Younger students might enjoy Janell Cannon's picture book "Stellaluna," about a baby fruit bat who gets lost.
Bats can find homes in caves, trees and even buildings. Explain to students that sometimes bats will get into attics or open spaces in a home. When this happens, the bats should not be killed but be removed by professionals who will release them back into the wild. This can impart the lesson that all living things have value. Bats, in particular, are important to mankind and the environment.
Have older children research newspapers and magazines and search the Internet for stories about how the bat population is declining in certain areas, such as New Jersey and Connecticut. While many people might cringe at the thought of bats, they are a valuable part of the environment, and their population decline means that the population of insects such as mosquitoes, which bats eat, will increase. Mosquitoes can carry diseases that can be harmful to people. Farmers may lose crops if there are fewer bats because the number of pests that can attack their crops may increase.