Leaf Bug Hunt
Overview:
Children learn about camouflage by making a "bug" from leaves and trying to find it as it "hides" in a leaf forest. This activity is great for fall.

Curriculum Focus:
science
art
 

Materials:
Each student group will need:

• assortment of large, flat leaves (avoid those that have become too withered, as they will crumble)
• dark-colored construction paper
• glue
• scissors
   

Activity:
Review Special Feature and More About with children. Focus on camouflage. Ask children to share examples of how animals might blend in with things around them--grass, rocks, tree bark, or leaves, for example. Help them identify camouflage characteristics, including colors, patterns and body shapes. Tell children they can make their own leaf "bug" to learn more about the power of camouflage. Give each child one-half piece of construction paper, enough leaves to cover both sides, scissors and glue. Have children glue leaves to each side of the paper, overlapping them to completely cover the paper's surface (it's fine if leaf edges extend beyond the area of the paper).
 

Once the glue dries, help children cut a bug shape from their paper. You might want to make a simple butterfly or caterpillar pattern children can trace and cut out. Once children have their leaf bugs, take them outside, to where you collected leaves for the activity. If needed, rake the leaves into one area, so there are enough to hide the bugs. Have children experiment with dropping their bug shapes in the leaf litter, to see how they blend in. Share thoughts as a group. Then, set up a leaf bug hunt. Here are some variations you might try:
--Scatter all the bugs over the leaves in a given area. Time how long it takes one child or a group of children to find them all.
--Scatter all the bugs over the leaves in a given area. Allow one child or a group of children 20 seconds to find as many bugs as they can.
--Close your eyes while the group decides where to hide one bug. Try to find it, possibly within a given time.
-- Have one child close his or her eyes while the group hides one bug. Have the child try to find it. The group can give hints, such as, "You're getting warmer."
 

Extension Idea:

Scatter a box of colored toothpicks, including green ones, in a small section of grass. Children take turns picking up as many toothpicks as they can find in 10 seconds. Children will likely pick up fewer green toothpicks than any other color, since they are more "camouflaged" in the grass.