Field Trips, Student Activities

You Can't See Me

Grade Level:
Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
Subject:
Science

On this field trip, students will understand the importance of natural coloration and camouflage in survival, considering the colors of various animals found at the park. They will look for colored items placed in a wooded or grassy area. This outdoor activity could also be done in another natural area or on school grounds.

Materials

Colored pipe cleaners, toothpicks or thumbtacks, butcher paper, colored markers

Colors: red, blue, green, natural, brown etc. (30 of each color) Use colors that are contrasting or blend in to the environment.

Be sure to clean up the area very well after this activity, especially if it is done on-site. Plastic or foreign materials, if eaten by wildlife, might make them ill.

Procedure

Scatter the pipe cleaners or toothpicks in a designated area. Allow three to six students in the area for one minute at a time. After each group has searched for one minute, make a bar graph of the colors found by each group in the order that they went. The brighter colors are easier to find and will most often be the ones the first group holds up.

Assessment

Questions for group discussion:

Why were some colors found before others? Compare the amount of objects found by the first group to that of the last group. Which colors did the last group have to find? Why was it more difficult for the last group? Discuss how this concept applies to animals and insects. Why are some animals brightly colored?

Extensions

Have students observe coloration in animals, insects, and plants around the sand dunes. What kinds of colors do they see? Look for examples of insects and animals in the Visitor Center. Compare the coloration of these animals with the colors of the environment at Great Sand Dunes.

Last updated: January 4, 2016