- Introduce the game by asking the group if they know what bats eat, and how they catch their prey.
- Explain echolocation – the bat emits a noise, which travels until it hits something, then bounces back. A wall will create a different echo to a moth, so the bat can navigate as well as find its prey. As it closes in on its prey, the bat will emit more noises at a faster pace so that it knows exactly where to aim for.
- Pick one person to be the ‘bat’ and one to be the ‘moth’. The bat is blindfolded and the rest of the group stand in a large circle around them, holding hands. The bat calls out “bat” and the moth replies with “moth”. They move around the circle until the bat catches the moth. Swap with other group members. The rest of the group must remain silent for this activity to work!
- Follow up this activity with a bat walk or survey, or try out the Peppered Moth activity in this pack.
Bat & Moth
Instructions
Resources Required
A blindfold
- Bats hunt their insect prey using echolocation - try this game to see if you’d succeed as a bat, or whether you’d go hungry!
- Activity type: Game
- Ages: Younger Elfins (6-7), Older Elfins (8-9)
- Where: Inside, Outside
- Topics: Environment
- Group size: 4 - 10, 10 - 20, 20 - 30
Attachments:
