Please note that in a class of students it is likely that one of them is at least partially colourblind (1 in 12 males are colourblind). As this is an activity distinguishing colours, these students will not be able to tell some colours apart and perceive some colours differently, although the activity will be no less interesting for them. The common red/green colour blindness means reds and greens (or colours containing reds and greens such as browns) look similar. More information at colourblindawareness.org and colorblindguide.com/post/the-advantage-of-being-colorblind.
This is an engaging activity. Student get involved in creating works of art that look like the surroundings.
Demonstrate how to hide clay in the classroom or outdoors:
Make a small ball of modelling clay of one colour, about the same size as the starting pieces. Mix colours to match a chosen spot in the classroom or outdoors.
Place the pipe cleaner square around the clay piece, so that others know where to look for the clay. The clay cannot have anything placed on top of it - it must be in plain sight.
Give each student their own pipe cleaner square and a tub of modelling clay pieces in a variety of colours. Give more black and brown colours if working outdoors, to match the soil.
Split the classroom or outdoor area in half, and the student group in half.
Students hide their clay in one half of the area. Once they have hidden their clay and placed their pipe cleaner square around it, come back to the meeting spot. (This could be back at their desks if indoors, with camouflage pictures to look through while they are waiting for others to be done.)
Once all students have hidden their clay, they can go and look for clay in the other half of the area. They should not touch or move anything in the squares, or they may accidentally cover up the hidden clay. They might also be asked not to point out the clay when they find it, so that others have the fun of finding it for themselves.
After a while of finding hidden clay, all students can pick up their clay and square, then hide in the other half of the area. (Some may need renewed clay colours.)
Continue for two or three rounds. Between rounds, explain the different kinds of camouflage, so that students can get more advanced in their hiding methods.
The simplest kind of camouflage is "colour matching". Animals are often colour matched to their environment to make them harder to find.
Another kind of camouflage is "disruptive colouration" where a living thing is more than one colour, maybe with spots or stripes. The different colours break up the outline of the living thing and make it harder to see.
Another level of camouflage is to have an "irregular outline", so the shape of the object is not what is expected. Some fish have decorated heads, or insects look like a leaf.
Students can try adding these layers of camouflage to their colour matching, by adding different colours of clay and changing the shape of their clay before hiding it. The final object should always be about the same size of the first ball (as a tiny speck of clay will be an unfair challenge).
Examples of outdoor variations that students came up with: making a long piece of clay to look like a stick on the ground, or a piece of gray and black clay shaped to look like other little rocks on the ground, matching the colour of peeling paint on a fence, or even matching the colour of bird poop on a rock! (see this website for animals camouflaging to look like bird poop: https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/heres-looking-at-poo-the-weird-and-…)
Examples of indoor variations include hiding colours in a collection of coloured art supplies, or adding extra coloured patches to coloured tags. Posters or other flat materials are easier for finding hidden clay on, as the clay is the only raised part and reflects the light differently.
Students can spend quite a while making works of art that can be a challenge to find by most in the class. Student groups and adults will enjoy visiting particularly challenging hides.
Please note the likelihood of a colourblind student in the class. Colourblindness can also be an advantage:
https://lifeonsphere.com/color-blind-people-can-spot-and-see-through-ca…
https://www.science.org/content/article/eye-camouflage#:~:text=Being%20….
Animals using different methods of camouflage:
https://www.bbcearth.com/news/8-creatures-that-are-masters-of-disguise
Webpages with lists of camouflage types:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_camouflage_methods
https://www.eecis.udel.edu/~vijay/BLAST/Lesson_5.html
