Can you hide in plain sight? Lots of animals can. If you want to do a little hiding-and-seeking, too, play this camouflage game outdoors!
What You Need
- Different colored construction paper
- Scissors
What You Do
- Cut Paper Shapes
You can make all the shapes resemble butterflies or some other animal. Or you can just cut out abstract shapes.
- Hide the Shapes
While your child isn’t looking, hide the shapes in the yard or another outside area. Try to camouflage most of them by placing a green piece in the grass, for example, a gray one on a driveway, a red one near a like-colored flower, and so on. Place a few shapes against contrasting colors. For example, place a blue shape on a green bush. - Hunt for the Shapes
Have your child look for the shapes. Ask him or her to explain why the shapes were easy or hard to find. - Talk About Camouflage
- Remind your child that some animals use their camouflage to sneak up on their dinner. Others use it to hide, in order to avoid becoming dinner! Ask your child what a camouflaged animal might look like if it lives in a bush or tree. A desert? The Arctic? The grassy plains of Africa?
- Tell your child that some animals can blend into their surroundings by changing the color of their skin – cuttlefish, octopuses, and some frogs and fish, for example. Some people do this, too, by wearing special clothes. Ask your child to name some examples (e.g., soldiers and hunters). How would someone dress to stay hidden in the snow? What would help a person blend into a forest?
- Some plants use camouflage, too. Some plants look like stones. Others are growing, but look like they are dead. Why would camouflage be a good idea for plants? (It’s a way to hide from grazing animals!)