Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Lasya. Lasya Wonders, “How does camouflage work” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Lasya!

Do you know any adults who serve in the military? How about those who hunt for game? If so, you may have seen them dressed in a certain type of clothing before. It’s meant to disguise a person so they’re not as easily seen by others. What are we talking about? Camouflage, of course!

Do you have a camouflage shirt? If so, what color is it? This type of clothing can come in a variety of colors and shades. These blend together in a wide variety of patterns. Camouflage is used in all sorts of different climates, terrains, and landscapes.

Camouflage works most often in one of two ways. Camouflage clothes often make someone harder to see, thereby concealing their identity. Sometimes, though, camouflage might be designed to make a person look like something else. The word “camouflage” actually comes from a French slang word meaning “to disguise.”

There are many examples of natural camouflage from the animal world. Some animals use this method to help them hunt or stay safe from predators. In today’s Wonder of the Day, we’ll focus on human-made camouflage clothing.

Camouflage clothing got its start with military efforts to develop disguises. These were needed for soldiers, tanks, airplanes, and the like during World War I and World War II. One of the most popular styles of camouflage uses random splotches of army green, brown, and gray. This helps disguise someone in a woodland setting.

As battlegrounds expanded to other climates, terrains, and landscapes, it soon became clear that one style of camouflage would not be sufficient. For example, army green camouflage clearly would not work well in a desert setting. A more appropriate pattern would be filled with muted tans, browns, and grays. Of course, it also wouldn’t fit in a snowy landscape that was almost all white.

Today, the United States military alone has at least 10 different types of camouflage uniforms. They once had two: one green uniform for the woods and one brown uniform for the desert. Now certain branches of the military, such as the Marines and the Navy, have their own special camouflage patterns.

Most countries around the world outfit their military in their own unique versions of camouflage. That means there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of different types of this clothing around the world today.

Camouflage clothing has become popular amongst civilians, too. While fashion is usually about standing out from the crowd, camouflage is all about blending in. Have you ever worn camouflage? Do you think it made you stand out or blend in? Either way, we’re sure you made a fun fashion statement!

Standards: CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1,

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Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day is a brand-new invention. Come check it out!