Back to Blog

Animal Ed-Ventures At Home: Woodhouse’s Toads Camouflage with Watercolors

Written by: Arizona Humane Society

Make Your Own Woodhouse's Toad Camouflage Paints Using Household Items!

Thank you for joining our Animal Ed-Ventures At Home! Have you even seen or heard Woodhouse's Toads around your house? They live here in Arizona and like to hide in dark, damp places. They can be hard to find because their camouflage helps them hide well into their backgrounds. Join us in painting camouflage like the Woodhouse's Toads using household supplies! Supplies:

Paper: You can print toad outlines and backgrounds on card stock at home (plain white paper works, as well).
Paintbrushes: Small paintbrushes will be best for painting camouflage.
Small paint pots and water: Reuse empty to-go sauce cups or ramekins.
Household items: Cocoa powder, tea bags or loose-leaf tea, chili powder, dirt from outside, coffee grounds, ground turmeric, blueberries, and soy sauce. Other spices work well, too... get creative with your colors!

Instructions:

Take photos of areas in your yard where Woodhouse's Toads could live. Can you find a place that is dark and damp near your home? If you cannot find a spot, you can use these background examples.
Print out the toad outline templates.
Mix your paints. Mix about 2 teaspoons of warm water with 1 teaspoon of each household item in individual paint pots. Water is not necessary for soy sauce.
Paint your toads! Carefully look at the background photos and try to match the colors and texture so your toads blend in.
When the toads are done drying, carefully cut out the toads.
Place your toads on the backgrounds to see how well they are camouflaged!
Bonus activity: Why not try painting a few toads and then place them around your yard for a scavenger hunt? Are they difficult to find?

We would love to see your toad-ally cool Woodhouse's Toads when you are finished! Please feel free to share with us on AHS' Facebook page and be sure to join us for future activities each Wednesday at 10 a.m.!

AHS' Education and Outreach team inspires a compassionate community of animal lovers through education events across the Valley and youth programs in schools and in our shelters. They also care for our Animal Teachers, who are ambassadors who help young animal lovers develop an appreciation and compassion for living things through interaction and up-close observation. Our Animal Teachers come to us from a variety of circumstances. Some were surrendered or transferred to us from another rescue organization, while others were rescued after being abused, abandoned or injured. They become ambassadors in our education programs as their stories are filled with a message of caring, empathy and hope. Both our Animal Teachers and our own companion pets will join us in our Animal Ed-Ventures At Home weekly series.

Learn More About AHS' Youth Programs

April 20, 2020