Audiences learn how vital bats are for maintaining a healthy environment (did you know that a Little Brown Bat eats up to 1000 mosquitoes in one night?). Via interactive dialogue and slide photos taken by bat expert Merlin Tuttle, children move beyond old stereotypes, to an understanding of the importance of bats for farmers, fruit growers, the rain forest, and us. See vivid photos of tropical fruit bats, the vampire bat, and some of our local bats. We will learn about bats in our attics, vampire bats, bat eyesight, echolocation, migration and hibernation. Eyes light up at such phenomenal creatures as Townsend’s Big Eared Bat, and the Pallid Bat. We will also listen to bat echolocation calls that are slowed down through a bat detector.

After the slide show, children will create their own bat tee shirts (heavy, 100% cotton) using a combination of fabric dye sprays, plants, and butterfly cut outs. Children may purchase heavy cotton shirts for $4.00, or bring their own.