Fawn Hiding

Mother deer teach their young to stay silent and still to camouflage them from predators until they are old enough and strong enough to follow her. This allows the mother to forage for food while keeping a close eye on her offspring. Mother deer stay nearby as added protection to distract and drive away predators.

• Why might we find a baby deer by itself?

• How do baby animals learn?
• How do your parents/adults respond to you?
• What might the mom (doe) be doing while the baby deer (fawn) is hiding?

Students could:

• Select books from the library that demonstrate how and why parents protect their offspring.
• Research animals to learn how different animals protect their young.
• Write to describe the relationship.
• Create a presentation to share research findings.
• Create a list of animal behaviors that help offspring survive.
• Camouflage an outline of an animal by coloring to blend in with the environment around the classroom.

• Ultimate Camp Resource | Camouflage Game Camouflage Predator versus prey game.
• PBS LearningMedia | Hero Elementary: Monster Hunters: In these Hero Elementary activities, children learn about the things that animals and their offspring do that help the young survive. Children observe and gather information from texts and media. They look for patterns and kinds of behavior. What do some animals do to help their offspring survive? What don’t some animals do?
• PBS LearningMedia | Learning to Be a Leopard: A leopard cub learns survival skills from its mother in this video from Nature: The Leopard Legacy. When leopard cubs are born, they must depend on their mothers to feed them and keep them safe. Lessons soon start that will prepare the cubs for living on their own. Support materials for this resource include discussion questions and standards-based activities.