Bat Echolocation Experiment

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In this activity, learners discover how bats use echolocation to get information about objects in their environment. During the activity, one learner whispers into a tube. Another learner listens for the sound to bounce off the pie plate and come back through the other tube. Use this activity to discuss the different ways animals learn about their environments. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 4 - 6
Resource Type:
Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • 2 empty paper towel rolls
  • 2 aluminum pie plates
  • masking tape
  • rulers

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Diversity of Life
      • Animals
    • Ecology
      • Biodiversity
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Hearing
  • Physical Sciences
    • Vibration and Waves
      • Sound

Informal Categories

  • Animals
  • Nature and Environment

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • hear
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

Funding Source:

  • REAP-CEP grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources