Choose Learning Type ▼

Camouflaged Creatures

Activity

Design Your Own Hidden Animal

Think about the wild patterns that mammals sometimes use as camouflage, such as zebra stripes and cheetah spots. How do these contrasting patterns create camouflage? Create an imaginary animal, then draw the habitat that your imaginary animal might live in. What would its fur look like to camouflage it to its habitat?

Science Seed

Camouflage is an adaptation that allows some animals to blend in with certain parts of their environment. Camouflage is not only used to disguise animals from predators, but it is also used by many predators as tool for hunting, hiding from their prey. There are 4 basic types of camouflage 1) concealing coloration (hiding against a background of the same color, eg. polar bears), 2) disruptive coloration (spots, stripes and other patterns that disguise an animal’s body shape, eg. zebras), 3) disguise (like #1, but with textures and shapes, eg. walking stick bug) and 4) mimicry (copying characteristics of unappetizing animals, eg. the viceroy butterfly looks just like its toxic cousin, the monarch)

move to the next activity

earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

Explore Billy Reagan K-8 Education Center

join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.

This project was made possible by HEB.