Camouflage activity for young scientists

This is a great activity I used to do with younger scientists to give them a quick and fun intro to animal adaptations. I have a background in marine biology, so I like to focus on marine related activities. You can swap the fish stencil for a butterfly, lizard, bear or any animal that might use camouflage. Here’s the fish stencil I used.

This is a really great activity if you want to keep your kids engaged in STEM but only have a short amount of time to spare.

I start the activity by talking about animal adaptations in general.

Animals have adapted to the environment and lifestyle in which they live. Animals live everywhere on earth. They live in the deepest parts of the ocean and the driest parts of the desert. They live up high in the trees and even underground in the dirt. Animals can live in any environment because they have adaptations to suit their lifestyle and environment.

Adaptations are special features or skills the animal has to better survive. These adaptations can be physical or behavioural. Physical adaptations are special body features [wings, claws, colouration and body shape] that allow the animal to live in a particular place in a particular way. Behavioural adaptations are things the animal or group of animals do daily or seasonally; it is how the animals(s) act [songs, calls, migration, mimicry]. Many animals have both physical and behavioural adaptations.

Animals evolve over time in order to better adapt to their environments and lifestyle.

I like to ask the kids what their favourite animals are, what adaptations they have, and why each animal may use these adaptations. Here’s some examples:

Blue Tang or Surgeonfish (also known as our good friend Dory) have a sharp venomous blade by their tail fin to protect themselves from predators -physical adaptation

Meerkats have dark circles around their eyes that act like sunglasses to help them see even when the sun is shinning very brightly - physical adaptation

Canada Geese breed up north in places like Canada in the summer, but migrate south to the warmer States in the winter to avoid the cold and to find food - behavioural adaptation

Hippos sweat a pink oily substance that acts as sunscreen to protect and moisturize their skin in the hot sun - physical adaptation

Humpback Whales have their own regional language or songs to help them communicate with their families - behavioural adaptation

Koala Bears have extra fury bottoms to act as a cushion for the hard branches they sit on - physical adaptation

Elephants have large ears that act like a fan when they flap them in the heat to reduce their body temperature - physical adaptation

Mimic Octopus use mimicry to change the texture and colour of its skin as well as the shape of its body to look like something else so the are harder to spot - physical and behavioural adaptation

Texas Horned Lizard will shoot blood out of its eyes when it feels threatened - physical and behavioural

Since I used a fish stencil, here are some general adaptations of fish.

Streamline Body Shape -Easy to move though the water

Gill Cover - Protects the soft gills underneath

Mucus Covering - Protects from disease

Pectoral/Shoulder Fin - Helps with movement in water column (left, right, up and down)

Tail Fin - Helps stabilize fish and prevents body from rolling over

Nostrils - Used in smelling to track home rivers

Camouflage/Colouration - Hide from predators or ambush prey

Anyways, today we’re going to focus on camouflage. Camouflage is an adaptation that allows animals to blend into their surroundings. Many animals have evolved to use some form of camouflage in order to hide from predators in order to increase their chance of survival and pass on their genes. Camouflage can also be used by predators as a tool for hunting. The predator will blend into their environment and ambush or surprise their prey so they can catch them.

Why do you think a fish might want to use camouflage? To blend in with their surroundings to hide from predators or sneak up on prey.

Hand out one fish stencil cutout to each student and tell them to camouflage it by colouring it in so that it hides somewhere in the room. Tell them to get creative and that their fish can be colourful and camouflage at the same time. After all the kids have gone and hid their fish, it is your turn as the parent/educator to go around the classroom and try to find the camouflaged fish.

Choose an animal stencil and cut them out.

Have the Jr. Scientists colour/paint/decorate the animal stencils so that it can blend in or camouflage into something in the room.

Have Jr. Scientists hide their animal stencils in plain sight using camouflage.

Now you can have some fun and try to find the camouflaged stencils around the room.

Encourage the Jr. Scientists to get creative and remind them that something can be both camouflaged and multicoloured or patterned at the same time.

Just a quick note about the stencils - to make this hide and seek camouflage activity more challenging, make sure you don’t have a the black outline of the animal in the stencil cut out.

Small steps to save the ocean

You have the ability to help save the ocean. No one and no action is too small to make a difference. Follow these simple small steps to do your part.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Don’t forget Refuse.

To start simple - turn your lights off when you leave the room. Turn your a/c off when you leave the house and wear a sweater in the winter so you don’t have to keep your house so warm. Turn the tap off while you brush your teeth. Bike, walk, carpool or take transit to work and leave your car at home most of the week.

When you go to the market make sure you only buy what you will eat and drink. Food waste sucks!

A really easy step you can take to reduce your plastic waste is to buy a reusable bag AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD REMEMBER TO BRING IT WITH YOU!! If you keep buying reusable bags at the market because you forget to bring the ones you already have, you may actually be increasing your carbon footprint. Leave a few bags in your car, strapped onto your bike, in your backpack or purse to help your forgetful self out.

On the note of reusable products… everyone should own a reusable water bottle and a reusable coffee/travel mug (just make sure you clean it often). The majority of our tap water in Canada is safe and clean to drink, so drink it or buy a water filter for added clarity. You really have no reason to buy mass amounts of bottled water. Hate cold coffee? A good insulated travel mug will keep your hot beverage piping hot for hours.

Don’t forget the 3Rs newest friend Refuse. If you know a product is not made sustainably you have the ability to refuse it. For example, if the granola bars you usually buy contain palm oil that is not certified as sustainable, you can simply stop buying them altogether.

Don’t purchase items or souvenirs that exploit marine life. That turtle shell necklace and giant conch shell may be eye catching and beautiful, but stop and think about where it has come from. Traders and poachers will kill, break and collect endangered sea life to make into jewelry, artwork and other souvenirs for the tourists to buy. Buy goods that support the local community and ask questions about what materials the things you buy are made from. On your next beach vacation live by the motto “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles”.

Choose green brands and products.

These next few points are heavily tied into the previous points, Consumer choice is very important. Only you can choose what products you buy and what food you eat.

Switch to green products with eco packaging. Plastic waste is especially common in your bathroom and in your kitchen. Make a conscious effort to reduce the plastic in these areas of the household goods you buy. I have personally swapped out my bottled shampoo and soap for shampoo and soap bars. My favourite shampoo bar at the moment is Angel Hair by Lush - Angel Hair by Lush. If you’re feeling crafty you can even make your own soaps, face masks and household cleaners. I’ve been experimenting with apple cider vinegar, orange peels and essential oils for multipurpose household cleaners. I’ll keep you updated when I create the perfect recipe. Just note that vinegar doesn’t kill all viruses and bacteria so for high contact areas during flu season you may need something stronger.

Eat sustainably.

Eat sustainable seafood. Oceanwise is popping up all over restaurants and grocery stores so look for the branding and buy smart.

When you do buy meat try and buy from your local butcher and know where the meat is coming from. You can reduce your carbon footprint by buying from smaller scale farms rather than mass produced. Some smaller scale farmers even know how to reduce greenhouse gasses produced by switching up the animal feed and practising permaculture. It might cost a little more to buy sustainable seafood and meats, but you can offset the cost by doing meatless Mondays! Eat your veggies and try out new veggie options. Your body will feel the benefits and thank you too.

Buy locally.

The farmers markets here are pretty amazing, so why not take advantage of the fresh local produce around you. You will also be helping out your local economy and reducing the amount of fossil fuels it takes to ship foods across the world. Don’t get me wrong I love me some mangos, pineapple and avocados, but the cherries, strawberries and peaches we get here seasonally are like eating candy. \

Some of you may have heard of CSAs - Community Supported Agriculture; you can get a box delivered to your house on a regular basis filled with local fresh produce. CSAs also exist for meat and seafood so look for one in your area.

Educate your friends and family.

The more we know and the more we connect to nature, the larger the desire we will have to protect and care for the earth. Share your love and knowledge with others so they too can be inspired to do better.

You can go even further and influence your community. Urge your community grocery store to go plastic bag free. Eat at restaurants that serve Oceanwise seafood. Don’t use plastic straws at the bar and encourage restaurants to only use straws on request of switch altogether to reusable straws. Do your research before you vote and contact your local representatives to let them know you support marine conservation projects.

Participate in a shoreline cleanup.

Find shoreline cleanups or organize your own through The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. We will be organizing and participating in cleanups around Ottawa and Toronto this spring and summer so stay tuned for the next cleanup near you.

You don’t have to wait for the next organized event. You can incorporate cleanups into your daily life. On your way to work/school, when you go for a run, walk your dog or go to the lake you can be a good citizen and role model to others by picking up the trash around you. Just remember to keep yourself safe and use protective barriers if necessary and wash your goddam hands!