Crazy for Camouflage!

In our science unit, we are learning about animal and plant adaptations. My teacher friend, Kelly, shared a really cool camouflage activity with me last week!!!! All you need are some small dixie cups, a red sheet of construction paper, and 15 red and 15 blue circles. I used my school’s die cut machine and it took just a few minutes to get the circles ready! The students work in pairs (just so it is easier to prepare the materials!) and begin by spreading out all the blue and red circles on the red construction paper. When I said “start,” one partner went first and had thirty seconds to pick up as many circles as they could and place them in the cup. (You could also give them 20 seconds, too!) I told the students they could only pick up one circle at a time and had to put the circle in the cup before getting choosing another one. After thirty seconds, the student counted how many red circles and how many blue circles they gathered and wrote that number down. Next, their partner did the same thing. What MOST of the students discovered, is that they automatically first picked up the BLUE circles and had more BLUE circles because they popped out more against the red construction paper. Students explained how they did not pick as many red because they BLENDED into the construction paper. BINGO!!! That is exactly what I wanted them to discover! The red circles blended into the red construction paper and it was more difficult to pick up those circles. We then discussed how this is related to how animals use camouflage as an adaptation to their environment!! Looking to use this with your students??

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