Build a Bat Energy Budget

You can run this as a 10, 15 minute discussion or a full activity.

Bats

No prep
3 steps

Run with a class

You can run this as a 10, 15 minute discussion or a full activity.

Start each group with 100 energy points.

One day in torpor:, 1 point
One arousal event:, 15 points
Disturbance (noise/light/visitor): triggers +1 arousal
Dry air: +1 arousal every 7 “days”
(These are classroom-friendly numbers, not literal physiology, but they model the real idea: arousals are costly.)

What happens if arousals happen more often?
Which strategy lasts longer: “mostly torpor” or “frequent wake-ups”?
How could winter habitat (humidity, temperature stability) change the outcome?

Tie it back to real research: bats affected by white-nose syndrome have been documented arousing more frequently, which is linked to survival outcomes.

Questions to ask

Ask the big questions What happens if arousals happen more often?
“mostly torpor” or “frequent wake-ups”?
How could winter habitat (humidity, temperature stability) change the outcome?

Where it comes from

Winter is a shutdown season for insects, and that’s a problem if your whole life runs on flying and eating bugs. So bats do something that feels like science fiction the first time students really “get” it:

They don’t just sleep… they hit the metabolic brakes.

This is the bat survival trick your students will remember long after the unit ends: torpor (and, for many species, full-on hibernation).

Read the blog post ↗ Bats in Winter: The Survival Trick Your Students Will Never Forget · 2026-01-16

Workspace

Run it with your class

Set up the class, count what needs counting, write down what happened, then save it and take it with you. Everything here stays in this browser until you download it.

The class

Class or group Date Students Students per group

Counters

Results table

Notes as you go

Step 1: Give every bat a “fat tank” Step 2: Winter expenses (students choose) Step 3: Ask the big questions Anything else: what worked, what to change

Answers to the questions

Ask the big questions What happens if arousals happen more often? “mostly torpor” or “frequent wake-ups”? How could winter habitat (humidity, temperature stability) change the outcome?

Activities like this one

Discussion & thinking routine

The Water Signal Challenge

This quick activity helps students model how animals use clues, not perfect information, to make decisions.

Bats 1 steps · Kit needed

Discussion & thinking routine

Build a Bat Sound Decoder

Turn bat communication into a classroom investigation using sound patterns.

Bats Print & go

Sorting & card games

Is This Bat House Still Helpful?

Turn the question into a simple habitat investigation.

Bats 5 steps · Print & go

All activities →