Hide and seek: an animal vision lesson

Pupils explore camouflage: a colour that hides an animal from one eye can stand out to another.

Ages 9 to 11 (US grades 4 and 5; England Years 5 and 6)30 minutesFree animals only

Hook

Hide a red and a green paper shape on a green background. Which is easier to find?

Steps

1. 5 minTake a class photo of the hidden shapes. Look at it through the cat's eyes.
2. 5 minLook at the same photo through the pigeon and the hawk. Which shapes jump out?
3. 10 minPupils design a creature that hides from cats but not from birds, and explain the colours they chose.
4. 10 minShare: does each design work? Test a few by drawing them and taking a photo.

The animals

• Cat
• Rock pigeon
• Harris's hawk

Open the free tool Class mode

Talk about it

Why might a caterpillar be well hidden from one predator but easy for another to find?

A good answer

A hunter finds prey by the colours its own eyes can tell apart, so a colour that blends in for one eye can stand out for another.

Worksheet

Print the worksheet (A4 or US Letter, with an answer key on its own page).

Curriculum links

• NGSS 4-LS1-2: Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways. Source
• England, Year 6: Evolution and inheritance: Identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways. Source

Curriculum links checked on 2026-10-01 for the US (NGSS) and England only.

All six lessons · Classroom licences