Bat Class

Last week we had an opportunity to return to Meramec Caverns for a Bat class with a new Homeschooling group I have been trying out.  The family toured this cave a few months ago and the kids enjoyed it so they were willing to go again.

First we completed the tour of the caverns and to our surprise we actually saw a brown bat flying around.  I couldn't get its picture as it was going too fast but it made all the kids very excited.

Just a pretty picture of the cave lit up:)

However we later found out, from the tour guide that if a bat wakes up in the winter from hibernation it will probably go outside looking for food and not find any.  The bat will have used up most of its fat supplies and die:(

Here the kids were looking at a bat skeleton and had a worksheet to fill out and identify bat parts.  The guide briefly went into the functions of each part.

While the topic mostly stayed on the kinds of ants we have here in MO, of which I was told is only 4, on displayed was a Vampire bat.  

Next we learned a little about the bats found in the MO area of which there are fourteen.  We also heard about a disease that is killing bats called the white-nose syndrome.  Fortunately in this cave the bats are not infected with this disease.  Since it is a privately owned cave they are not currently doing any conservation activities with the bats:( 

Kids got to see a brown bat in a glass case.

It was a nice day out and we met some more homeschoolers.  Unfortunately for my oldest most of the field trips we go on we are noticing they are filled with younger children so the subject matter is gear to that age.  She informed me after the class that she hadn't learned anything about bats she didn't already know, except the names of the bats that live in MO.