All About Bats: Bat Conservation and Education: Resources for Kids, Families, and Educators

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Welcome back! If you missed our first post, catch up with us here with  Why Bats Matter. 

Bats are fascinating mammals and essential to our ecosystems. This year, why not spend time getting to know these incredible creatures? Whether you homeschool or are just a curious family, a bat unit can seamlessly integrate science, ethics, emotions, and more—without it feeling like “school.” It’s all about fun, immersive learning that sparks curiosity and respect for nature.

This blog post is a curated collection of bat-related resources perfect for homeschool units or family learning, designed to engage children and adults alike.

 

Fun and Educational Bat Videos for Kids

Introduce children to bats with entertaining and educational videos by Bat Squat (for kids and presented by kids!):

• Bat Squad: Amazing Bats
• Bat Squad: Hey Bats, What’s Your Habitat? 
• Bat Squad Shorts: Playlist by Bat Conservation International for Kids
• Additional Bat Squad videos: Playlist by Bat Conservation International for Kids

These videos bring bats to life and are perfect for elementary-aged kids.

 

• Bats on the Brink fun song for kids by Mr. G (author of Senorita Mariposa)
  
• All About Bats: Myths versus Facts Handout
• Bat Finger Puppet Template (though I’d recommend drawing it on and cutting it out from wool felt instead of paper) from Batweek.org
• Origami Bat instructions from Batweek.org
• Be Nice to Bats for Kids: Help take care of bats! by Virginia Bats
• Bat Parts Diagram for Children
• Bats of Eastern Woodlands Poster (print in bigger size online through sites like Canva or in person at places like UPS, Staples or Costco.)
• Bats of Western Forests Poster 
• Bat Recipe Book: A cookbook of goodies & treats made with bat-dependent ingredients (fyi: the end of the book has a few recipes with "agave nectar" for parents only but the rest is all for kids and pretty good)
• Fish and Wildlife Bat Math Activity by Project Wild
• Bat Habitat Observation Activity for Children by Bats in School Program
• US Forest Service talks about bats to children by Habitat for Bats
• National Parks White Nose Syndrome in Bats: Bats in Crisis, also Origin (of White Nose), and Response (to White Nose - how to help) (this resource is better for older kids, teens and parents)
• Gardening for Bats: Handout by batweek.org -- Help Children Organize a Bat Night Garden to Attract Moths and other Insects bats Eat
• Bat Conservation International YouTube Playlist
• See different types of bats from BCI

 

 

Recommended Bat Books for Kids and Adults

Picture Books for Kids

Introduce young readers to bats through stories and facts. (If the books have gone out of print, you can often still find them in your library or through a used book website such as Abe Books.)

Bat Books for Adults

Learn some great background knowledge to pass along your children with these recommended batty books for adults. 

Bats: an illustrated guide to all species by Marianne Taylor and Merlin D. Tuttle. Explores bats and their fundamental role in our ecosystems. Include lavish photography. 400 pages

Bat Basics: How to Understand and Help These Amazing Flying Mammals by Karen Krebbs separates fact from fiction in a fascinating fun guide that includes a section on natural history, a field guide and activities. 128 pages

The Weird and Wonderful World of Bats: Demystifying These Often-Misunderstood Creatures by Alyson Brokaw i- A bat ecologist introduces us to these curious flying mammals --  how they experience the world through unique senses, where and how they fly, the origins of their complex relationship with humans, and how we can learn from them and coexist. 312 pages

The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals by Merlin Tuttle A lifetime of adventures with bats around the world reveals why these special and imperiled creatures should be protected. 304 pages

Bats: Their Biology and Behavior by Tony Hutson An illuminating introduction to the world of bats and how their unique characteristics have enabled them to evolve into specific environments and niches. Also included are discussions on their life cycles, diets, migrations, echolocation, their predators, ecosystem threats and immune system responses to viruses. 160 pages

 

Build your own bat house. Use our precut bat house kit or follow the plans made for grown ups in the resources below. 

How to Build a Bat House

Follow detailed instructions and expert tips by The Organization for Bat Conservation to build a bat house.

The Giant Bat Houses of Florida

Here is a video about the giant bat houses in Florida that get quite the viewing audience each night. 

You can visit Bat Conservation International if you'd like some free bat house plans from expert Merlin Tuttle and BCI, and I included a free bat house building resource guide below in the links for parents. Your state’s fish and wildlife website may also offer free plans that are more specific to your region’s climate and bay species.  

• Bat Builder’s Handbook: From Batweek.org, find more building plans for different bat houses here including color recommendations for your temperature zone region, experiments, FAQs and more
• Bats 101 from Bat Conservation International
• Bat Garden Guide is a more in-depth guide for planning a bat garden, including what kind of plants work best in each region of the U.S.
• Check out your Department of Fish and Wildlife for resources in your area. Here’s a great guide about living with bats from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

• Bat Week website, Bat Week is October 24 - 31 each year, but you can sign up on the website to receive information for next year and also look for bat events near you
• Bat Recipe Book: A cookbook of goodies & treats made with bat-dependent ingredients. The first half are kid friendly and the second half are recipes for grown ups!
• National Wildlife Federation's Night Friends, American Bats Online Resource book 
• Turn your smartphone into an acoustics bat detector (this detector is the one recommended by Bat Conservation International) with the Echo Meter Touch

• Bat Detective, a Family Citizen Science Project (this study is finished; check here for other citizen science projects that you and your family may love) (search by subject or state)
• Neighbourhood Bat Watch (Canada only), a Family Citizen Science Project
• Arizona Bat Watch, a Family Citizen Science Project (you don't need to be from Arizona to participate) 
• Gotham Bat Conservancy's Citizen Science Project with iNaturalist
• Batweek.org Become a Citizen Scientist Handout -- Roost and Acoustics Monitoring
• Wisconsin Bat Program for Citizen Scientists