Camo Critters

Hi Y'all!
I'm in an especially cheery mood because Chicagoland has finally decided to change seasons and become SPRING! Yahoo! Goodbye winter coats, boots, and sweaters...hopefully I won't be needing you until November!

I wanted to share a fun little activity we did today that goes along with our Animal Unit.  The idea actually comes from our ancient vintage Science textbook!  This activity was used as an introduction into the second portion of our chapter on animal behaviors and survival techniques.

First, my kiddies were given a quarter piece of computer paper and asked to draw an insect that could be camouflage with the surroundings of our classroom.

Next, my students cut out their little buggies trying not to leave any traces of the white paper.

Then, they each got a small pieces of tape and placed their bug around the room.  I love to see how creative they all get! 

I didn't even spot this one until the end of the day!!!

Finally, when all was said and done we played what we called 'Birds of Prey'.  My students were given one minute to 'fly' around the room to try and spot as many camo critters as they could find.

It's a simple and engaging activity that led us into a great discussion on camouflage and how animals use that to survive in the wild, which means that this teacher is happy, happy, happy! 

What are some of your favorite engaging (and simple) activities to incorporate in your classroom?? I'd love to know!