Help dispel common myths about bats with engaging bat art projects for kids. You can embrace these mysterious night-flying creatures and solve your Halloween project dilemma by creating a thematic unit about bats. Engage your students with bat facts for kids and bat art using fun books, discussions, and projects. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

KWL Chart

The KWL chart is a good method for beginning any unit of study with students because it visually guides them through their learning process. Begin by filling out the chart as a class in the beginning of the unit. Find out what students already Know about bats and what they Would like to know. At the end of the unit, students can fill in what they Learned.

Books

Books about bats are a wonderful resource to provide students when they are studying something new. Whet their appetites for discovering interesting things about bats by reading bat themed books as a class. Then, create a library corner in your room where students may read on their own during free time. Here is a list of some of my favorites.

Fiction Titles

NonFiction Titles

Writing Opportunities

Don’t pass up this opportunity to get students writing. Depending on the grade, you can have students write informational paragraphs (or sentences) about what they learned about bats. Another option is to ask students to compare and contrast two fictional books such as Nightsong and Stellaluna. (You can fill out a Venn diagram as a class to help younger students.) Alternatively, you can ask students to compare and contrast one fictional book such as Stellaluna with one nonfiction books such as Amazing Bats.

Bat Art

So many activities, so little time is my reaction when I think of all the glorious thematic additions I could add to this unit. There are wonderful bat art projects for students of all ages online. Check out our Pinterest board for bats for a variety of bat art project ideas. We have pinned our favorite bat art and included some fun activities that correlate to bat units of study.

If you are looking for creative and engaging lessons but don’t have the time to craft your own unit, here is the ultimate resource for you: Bats, Complete Thematic Units E-book, $9.95

---

Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.