Field Lesson 1
On the Wing
Overview: Students will understand that each season has given set of colors that make

Time: 30-45 minutes

Location: Outdoors

Learner Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to correctly categorize colors typically associated with which a particular season.
  2. Students will create graphs which illustrate which color of bird is adapted to which season.

Vocabulary

  • Camouflage
  • Migration
  • Seasons

Materials

  1. Laminated circles divided into quarters and with the seasons labeled.
  2. Picture of ptarmigan in summer and in winter
  3. Pictures of various colored birds.

Preparation

  1. Designate four areas of similar coloring for student groups to hide play-dough birds.

Season Pies

Ask. .

  • What are the four seasons we have in the San Luis Valley?
  • What season are you visiting the Refuge?
  • What does fall/winter/spring/summer sound/taste/smell/look/feel like?

Explain. . .

  • We are going to use our sense of SIGHT to explore the colors of all the seasons in the San Luis Valley.

Do. . .

  • Students collect as many colored natural objects as they can in 5 minutes. Then, starting with the season in which they visit the Refuge, categorize their natural objects based on colors on the quartered circles.

Discuss. . .

  1. Why do we find certain colors in certain seasons.
  • Fall (orange, yellows, browns)- leaves changing, seeds
  • Winter (white, brown, blues) snow, plant dormant, frozen water
  • Spring (browns, yellow greens)- sprouting plants
  • Summer (all colors, shades of green)- Flowers, green plants

Season Blends

Ask. . .

  1. What color of birds do you think are best adapted for this season?
Explain. . .
  1. We are going to do some field research to find out what color of birds are best adapted for this season. We will create four different colored birds: green, brown, red, yellow (show play-dough). Each color group will hide their birds in this area (indicate boundaries). The other groups, just by looking, will try to find as many birds of each color as they can in 1 minute. As a group we will record how many of each color we find.

Do. . .

  1. Divide the group in to four groups: green, brown, red, yellow. Each group will create animals using their colored play-dough. Then have each group hide their birds in the designated area.

Discuss. . .

  1. Based on our results which bird was hidden the best for this season?
    " Where do the rest of the birds go, if this isn't a safe place for them to blend in?
  2. Migration to southern places where they blend in with the tropical plants.
  3. Some birds don't migrate but change coloring, like the ptarmigan (show picture).