Sunshine State Standard

SC.G.1.2.1

Materials

Bat House Kit or directions on building a bat house.

What to do

Students have been learning about the benefits of bats to humans since bats help to control the insect population. Bat habitats are being destroyed with all of the building going on in Florida. This is one way for us to give to bats what we have taken from them.

A Bat House Kit made by Woodkrafter Kits is purchased from a school supply store for around $20. Bat houses can also be constructed according to dimensions obtained from the Internet or knowledgeable sources in the area. Work with students to build a bat house to keep outside of our classroom. The bat house kit is built to house about 8-10 bats. Since bats are nocturnal, it may be difficult to observe bat activities, but students can examine bat droppings around the house to see if bats are visiting the house. A parent letter is sent home to encourage students to work with their parents to construct bat houses to keep at their homes. Parents are informed about the benefits of bats and controlling insects. A bat house is much more cost effective and fun than a bug zapper!

Additional Information

This is the culminating activity after studying bats for two weeks. Students have previously learned about megabats and microbats, what thy eat, and the benefits of bats. A knowledgeable person in the field of bats was also brought into our classroom bringing with her various types of bats to show students.

Submitted by

Christen Stormfeltz

Lee County
Ft. Myers, FL
christens@lee.k12.fl.us