Bats Abound! It's summertime!

It's summertime... and chances are the bats are swooping in your neck of the woods... I know they are here!  Spend a few minutes learning about the little critters!

Halfmann, Janet.
At Home in the Cave.
February 2012.
Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Baby Bat is asked to practice flapping his wings while his mother sets out in search of food for herself on night with all the other adult bats from the cave.  In anticipation of all that the world holds, Baby Bat is fearful to fulfill his mother's request.  However, while flapping ever so slowly, Baby Bat unknowingly takes flight and lands in what could be a sticky mess.  However, in meeting his new friend, Plurbius Packrat, Baby Bat learns about how bats help out other cave-dwelling creatures and in the end, learns a couple of important lesson - despite their reputation, bats play an important role in our lives and that even though it may be scary to head out into the world of unknown, you can always go home at the end of the day to the familiar. 

Lies, Brian.
Bats at the Beach.
June 2011.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.
**Super Low Price of $3.57 (lap board book)**

As the sun goes down and the evening sky approaches, the bats begin to rise from their slumber for a night at the beach - testing out the ocean waters, building sand castles, burying each other in the sand, pretending to be kites (dipping and diving), munching on bug-treats and roasting bug-mallows.  And, as all good beach days must, the bats night at the beach, too, must end, as they fly away before daybreak.

Children will appreciate the fun, rhyming nature of Bats at the Beach, they'll also be learning a great deal of vocabulary related to bats and their lifestyles (nocturnal habits, foods they feast on, etc). 

There are tons of benefits to housing a bat house in your backyard - check out this article from the National Wildlife Federation to find out about them!  After discovering just some of how bats are useful creatures in nature, work together to construct and decorate a bat house for your own backyard this summer!



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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Little Red Bat

Little Red Bat allows readers to explore the various ways in which animals prepare themselves for seasonal changes as Little Red Bat interacts with other animals from her ecosystem.

Gerber, Carole.
Little Red Bat.
February 2010.
Sylvan Dell Publishers.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Will I stay? Or will I go? That is the question that Little Red Bat repeatedly asks herself throughout the story, as she explores her habitat and observes how other animals in the ecosystem are preparing for the seasonal change ahead!

Little Red Bat, the main character of the story must decide whether "to stay" or "to go" during the long months of winter. Readers will quickly discover that red bats are among one species that can opt either to hibernate during the winter months or migrate south to warmer temperatures for survival. As Little Red Bat struggles to decide which option is best for her, she meets up with other animals from the forest ecosystem and learns about their plans for winter month, allowing children to explore all aspects of what animals do during the winter months! This book would make for the perfect addition to a thematic unit on "Animals in Winter," as it takes a significantly different approach to teaching children about this topic!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Sylvan Dell has put out a resource packet to go along with the book. Creative Minds can be downloaded/viewed here.
• They have also put out a 70 page packet of teaching activities to use in collaboration with the book. That packet can be downloaded here. My personal favorite activity can be found on page 13 - the sequence sentence strips!
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Bats

I'm no fan of bats, but kids seem to be thrilled with even the idea of them!

Berman, Ruth.
Let's Look at Bats.
September 2009.
Lerner Publishing.

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

What animal flies, has sharp claws, and hangs upside down to rest? Bats! But do you know what bats do at night? Or how they find food? Simple text and photographs introduce the physical characteristics, behavior, and habitats of North American bats.

This is a book that kids are sure to love. For some reason, the children I've talked to absolutely love even just the idea of bats. Not me! But I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinions... this book is full of informational background and photographs of bats that really does make learning about them much more fun! I guess it's a book I'll be keeping around!

Activity to Use in Collaboration with this book:

• Halloween is right around the corner... and for those of you who do partake in the celebration, you know decorations are just as important as the candy that kids are after. After all, how much fun is Halloween without a few spooky decorations? Here, you will find directions to make a Halloween Bat Mobile decoration. All of the children can make one of their own and hang it above their bed for "bat-time" dreams at night! It looks pretty simple and would make for a great rainy-afternoon activity!
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.