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AGE LEVEL = 9-11 (8-12)
DURATION = 50-70 min.
LEARNING STATION = Forest, Field
RELATED ACTIVITIES = ←→ Fox and Mice
← Rainbow Hike
WHEN = 
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UNDERSTANDING: Camouflage is an
effective protective device for animals.
MATERIALS:
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Yarn or toothpicks (10 each of 4
or 5 colors)
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Field guides to birds or mammals
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Bar chart
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4 or 5 felt-tip or markers (one
for each yarn color)
PREPARATION: Prepare the bar chart.
Before starting the lesson, select a small area (10 x 10 feet),
and scatter the yarn. You may want to review the section on
adaptations in the Leader’s Guide.
LESSON:
Warm-up: With the group, develop a
list of foods eaten by birds. Explain that they will pretend to
be birds and search for special worms. Without describing what
the worms look like, take them to the area where the yarn is
located.
Activity: Outline the playing area
and tell them they will have three minutes to gather as many
worms as they can. Tell them to hunt worms while standing up,
not on their hands and knees. Note that they may only pick up
one worm at a time!
Wrap-up: Divide the worms up by
color and make a count. Graph the results on the bar chart and
discuss why some worms were more easily captured. Introduce the
concept of camouflage.
OPTIONS AND FURTHER EXPLORATIONS:
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Select an area with a variety of
natural colors and varied terrain. Divide the group into two
teams. Supply model animals (made from wood or cardboard) to
one team and tell them to hide the animals in a suitable
habitat or one that conceals them well. Establish boundary
lines and explain that they cannot bury the animals under
leaves or rocks. Allow five minutes to hide the animals.
Meanwhile, with the other team, share pictures from field
guides of animals that use camouflage. Discuss other animals
that use camouflage and how people use it. Give the second
team 10 minutes to find the animals. Reverse the teams and
repeat. After both teams have had a chance to hide the
animals, gather in a sharing circle. Discuss which animals
remained hidden the longest. Were the animals placed in
their proper habitats?
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Discuss other techniques animals
use for protection. Have the group research and present
their findings using reports or skits.
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Research camouflage in birds. Is
there a difference between males and females, and if so,
why?
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Research animals that change
color, either seasonally or at will (some fish and lizards
can change their color within minutes).
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Bar Chart |
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Number of
worms
found |
10
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Blue
Green
Orange
Tan
Black |
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SPECIAL NOTE FOR OPTION 1:
Animal Models: the animal models used for Colorful Confusion can
be made from pieces of pine or other wood. From the wood, cut
out an outline of each animal (the models are two-dimensional,
not three) and have an artist paint an approximation of its
coloration. It is not important that the animals be painted
exactly, so long as it is not depicted in solid colors. Remember
that this activity focuses on camouflage. Also, it is not
crucial that the size of the animals be very accurate, but they
should not be extremely small. Keep available habitats in mind,
but try to be diverse. For a start, make these models: owl,
woodpecker, duck, bittern, chipmunk, weasel, snipe or woodcock,
and rabbit.
