Halloween Clip-On Bat Craft

Bats are one of the most common Halloween symbols. We see their pictures all over during October. Many are pictured as blood-drinking vampires. Others are just made to look very scary. Do we need to be afraid of bats? No! Bats are not our enemy. In fact, bats do many things that are very helpful for humans.

Many bats eat insects. The little brown bat can catch 600 mosquitoes in just one hour. There are 20 million Mexican free-tail bats living in Bracken Cave, Texas. They can eat 250 tons of insects in a single night.

Some bats help farmers by eating insects that are harmful to their crops. A colony of just 150 big brown bats can eat up to 18 million or more rootworms each summer.

Other types of bats are important for pollinating flowers and spreading seeds so new plants can grow. Nectar-feeding bats that live in the southwestern United States are the main pollinators of the giant saguaro cactus. Many plants growing in the wild, such as bananas, mangos, nuts, dates and figs, depend upon bats for pollination and seed dropping. In the rain forests, tropical bats pollinate flowers and drop seeds to help many trees and bushes grow.

Scientists are studying the saliva from the vampire bat to see if someday a new medicine can be found to help people with heart problems.

Let's make a Halloween Bat that can be clipped on curtains or lamp shades.

Halloween Clip-On Bat Craft

Supplies:
Clip-on clothespin
Craft paper or fun foam
Scissors
Glue

Directions:
Cut a set of wings from Black craft paper or fun foam.
Cut a body shape showing ears at the head and feet at he other end.
Glue the wings to the clothespin. Glue the body shape over the wings, directly over the length of the clothespin.
Add jiggle eyes, or ones cut from red or yellow construction paper.
Clip your bat to the edge of a curtain or lampshade to give your house a scary Halloween look.

For more information on bats:

Bats Around the World

Bats Bats Everywhere

Bat Conservation International, Inc.

Batty About Bats

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