Seasonal Camouflage

Explore why the ability to change color with the seasons is so important to animals. Draw a snowshoe hare, or another creature, in seasonal camouflage.

• 1.

  Find out the names of animals whose colors change with the seasons, such as the snowshoe hare, polar bear, white-tailed deer, and horned owl. With your classmates, compile a list of these creatures. What colors are these animals’ coats in winter? In summer? Describe each animal’s natural habitat. Identify their predators. Collect information and ideas about how camouflage makes a difference for predators and their prey.

• 2.

  With Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils, outline a snowshoe hare or other animal whose coloring blends in with its surroundings. Cut out the drawing with Crayola Scissors.

• 3.

  Fold a large piece of construction paper in half. Trace the animal twice, once on each side of the fold.

• 4.

  Using your colored pencils, the information you found, and your imagination, draw one side to show the animal in its winter habitat. For example, in winter a snowshoe hare’s coat is white to provide protection in snowy fields.

• 5.

  Create a summer/fall habitat on the other side of the paper showing the animals’ coat and surroundings during that season.

• 6.

  Use your colored pencil erasers to create highlights on the animal and the vegetation that grows in its natural habitats.

Benefits

• Students identify animals whose coats change seasonally and the natural habitats in which they live.
• Students research how camouflage helps both predator and prey.
• Students create a two-sided drawing showing how an animal’s coat differs in winter snow and summer.

Adaptations

• Create dioramas of animals in their natural habitats during different seasons. For example, show polar bears, white-tailed deer, or horned owls in their surroundings. Ask other students to find the hidden creatures.
• Research insects that use camouflage to protect themselves, such as moths and walking sticks. These bugs are very hard to see when they sit on leaves or stems. Draw and label them to create a book of Hide and Seek bugs.
• Write an original play and design costumes to portray animals in seasonal camouflage. Make costumes with recycled materials such as paper grocery bags and recycled shirts.
• Younger students and those with special needs may find it helpful to refer to pictures, stuffed animals, and other representations of the animals. Demonstrate the technique of erasing areas to highlight areas of their drawings.