by Vera Vida

“Bats are scary.” “Bats get tangled in your hair.” “Bats suck your blood.” – these are just some of many negative things children hear and say about bats all the time. As they grow and don’t get properly educated on them, will they fear bats? Probably. Will they check the facts? Why would they?

It’s obvious that bats and their conservation are extremely important, especially during the challenging time of COVID-19. But because of all the myths and misinformation, many people – including children (the next generation, no pressure) will blame and despise bats. We must change that.

I’m a primary school teacher in Hungary and I teach 5-6-year-old children from all over the world. That’s great because bats are everywhere, right? They all know them, see them, have thoughts about them. The problem is those are often negative thoughts. But what happens if we do what it takes and educate them about bats the right way?

I was eager to find out.

I’ve always loved bats. I honestly think they are amazing and adorable creatures. When the pandemic hit the world, it was heartbreaking to see all the bad press and to hear our students express their fear, not understanding what was going on. That’s when I decided to take action.

By the time we were about to start our ‘animals’ topic with the kids, we’d already been doing our home learning. I contacted evolutionary biologist and bat expert Dr. Dan Riskin, who was kind enough to agree to join the first online session of the topic to tell us all about bats and answer some of the children’s great questions. Dan has always inspired me – not only because what he has done and achieved is incredible, but also because of the way he uses his passion for science (and bats) to do what he does best. I also think that the most important thing in education is passion. I believe we have to show our students what it is and how they can use it, not to mention that our enthusiasm is also a great tool to make the kids engaged and curious.

Did it work? Absolutely. We did a little bit of a build-up beforehand, so they were already really excited for the session, and it was brilliant. It went so smoothly, from Dan’s slide show and exciting story through the children’s great questions to the last thought about the diversity of bats (and kids). All teachers, parents, and students enjoyed it and were so ready to get into our bat project. I still feel thankful for this experience as it has really left an impact on everyone.

During the week, the children chose their favourite bat species and created their own bat posters. (Vampire and bumblebee bats were pretty popular, but some chose bats like the Egyptian fruit bat as well). We shared interesting facts, videos, and drawings. Since we live in Hungary, we also learned about the 28 protected bat species that live here. To top it all, some of them got new bat books and soft toys which they proudly showed during the class meetings. They enjoyed the learning process and let go of the unnecessary fears – and it was so satisfying and heart-warming to see.

After all this, the most important thing was to keep it going in the background for the rest of the school year. Of course, we had to focus on other topics, too, but in order for them to learn more, I gathered some amazing resources suitable for their age and put them in our class folder, so they were always available for everyone. I used the amazing resources of Bat Conservation Trust, Bat Conservation International and more; and got some help from the lovely bat community on Twitter to find even more. From activity books to art and crafts, we now have a wide range of bat activities to have fun and learn with.

Weeks passed and they still shared their work and how they used the resources. They love bats now. Some more than others, but most importantly, they know and have grown fond of them.

As I expected, it became clear that if we are enthusiastic enough, do our best to make learning fun, share the facts and keep this all up, our young learners will be open minded, more creative and engaged - despite all the fear and misconceptions regarding bats. Moreover, by creating one-of-a-kind learning opportunities for our students, and involve people that inspire them, we can also make sure that it sticks with them for a long time.

We must start educating this new generation about bat conservation and the importance of these wonderful animals, so they grow up understanding and respecting them.