Survivor, manhunt: as a culture, we seem to be into survival skills of the television kind. However, when you turn off the television and venture out into the wild places around your home, you can experience the real survivors. These are the plants and animals that live in your forests, streams, and other wild places. Some of these survivors are successful because they are fantastic at hiding. Many animals use cryptic coloration to hide.
Watch these survivors in action this summer. Using sticks that you place in the ground in a circle and tie together at the top, make a bird blind. Surround the bird blind with a piece of fabric that is the color of the local vegetation. Cut small holes in the blind so that the children can see through it. Set up the blind and leave it if possible. After a while, the animals will get used to the blind. Return and sit inside it very quietly. Observe what the animals do when you do not appear to be around. What do you see that you might not see on a walk through the forest?
Many animals use camouflage to either hunt for prey or to avoid being eaten themselves. To introduce the idea of camouflage, get small eggs from a craft store and paint them the color of the ground, the sky, the flowers and the trees. Place them in locations where you think that they will match the environment, and hold a camouflage egg hunt.
Gather a small group of children and play camouflage yourself. One person is the predator and the rest are the prey. Set out boundaries where the children can hide. The children can hide anywhere inside the boundaries, but they must be able to see the predator. The predator can only move a few feet in any direction. The predator calls out when he sees someone and describes that person’s hiding place and clothing. Those who are caught come and stand beside the predator. The last person to be caught is the next predator. Be forewarned: it is eerie how a group of children can seem to disappear into the forest!
