Camouflage Challenge

📋 What You'll Need

• •50 toothpicks or small sticks (brown, green, and colored)
• •A patch of grass or leafy ground
• •A timer (phone)
• •A friend or family member to be the 'predator'

👣 Step by Step

1. 1Mix equal numbers of brown, green, and brightly colored toothpicks together.
2. 2Scatter them across a 5-foot patch of grass or leaves while your friend looks away.
3. 3Have your friend pick up as many toothpicks as they can find in 30 seconds.
4. 4Sort what they found by color and count each group.
5. 5Scatter the remaining toothpicks and repeat with a fresh 30-second search.
6. 6Compare which colors were found most and which were missed.

🔍 What to Observe

• •Which color was hardest to find? Which was easiest?
• •Did the 'camouflaged' toothpicks survive longer than the bright ones?
• •How does this explain why prey animals are often brown or green?