Biomimicry for Kids: Activities and Resources (K-3 and up)

Biomimicry is a fascinating and novel topic of study for younger students. Also called biomimetics, it comes from the Greek roots bios, meaning “life,” and mimesis, “to imitate.” It is observing “what works” in nature and mimicking it to solve problems, create, and innovate. Co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute, Janine Benyus calls it “innovation inspired by nature.” This 21-minute video is not intended for younger students, but I highly recommend it to teachers who are preparing to introduce biomimicry to students. It presents the most updated information about biomimicry, and there is some fascinating and encouraging information about new technologies! You may end up wanting to share parts of the video with your students.

Here are some free resources appropriate for use with students in kindergarten through third grade useful for introducing biomimicry and experimenting through hands-on activities.

INTRODUCING BIOMIMICRY:

Introducing biomimicry in the early grades empowers students to make amazing connections to other topics of study particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In my classroom, students brought it up as we studied architecture, engineering, nanotechnology, microbiology, genetics, advanced math, and even history. DaVinci’s drawings of flying machines, for example, were based on his observations of birds. It was exciting, too, when my fourth graders and I found this article about a 13-year-old’s invention. We were studying the Fibonacci sequence, and this teenager’s “solar cell tree” design was inspired by the natural branching of trees which is related to the Fibonacci sequence.

This five-minute video, Biomimicry: Design by Nature, is a perfect introduction to biomimicry for younger students. Viewers join a young boy named Carrick on a visit to the Biomimicry Institute where he learns what biomimicry is and how it is used to solve problems and create new products.

Resources

Sharing Biomimicry with Young People: A publication of the Biomimicry Institute, this 27-page PDF is full of useful ideas and resources for introducing biomimicry to students and includes beautiful illustrations as well. When you join the Institute, you can view many other resources for educators.

“What is Biomimicry?” ~ GENERATION GENIUS – This is a wonderful lesson and video to use with K-2 students if your school subscribes. The resources are available for viewing through August 31, 2020 with a prorated subscription.

Additional Videos:

After students have been introduced to biomimicry, there are some excellent videos that would be suitable for younger students.

The video below is one I would share in segments. With second graders, I might share just the first part of the video. Then, with fourth- or fifth-graders, I would show the entire video as part of our study of nanotechnology. Students will notice new things and make new connections when they view the same videos over multiple years.

Butterflies are inspiring fascinating studies in biomimicry. This video describes scientists’ interest in the iridescent wings of Morpho butterfly species. It’s less than two minutes long and could be followed up with a brainstorming session prompted by the question: “If we could copy that iridescence, how could it be helpful or solve a problem?” (e.g. It could be used on clothing worn by joggers and cyclists so they could more easily be seen by motorists.)

The natural design of a live oak tree is a factor in its survival, especially during hurricanes and strong storms. The video below explains the design and how architects and builders are imitating it in construction so that human dwellings might survive powerful storms, too. You could follow this with pictures of other examples from nature such as those found in this article.

K-3 Student Activities

The page below is an example of a note-taking sheet my second graders created after an introduction to biomimicry. In grades K-2, my students created booklets to take home so that they could tell their parents about what they were learning in G/T class. There are a few misspellings because these types of take-home pages were not always edited. Students noted “real-life examples” and then added their own ideas, usually elicited in whole-group discussions.

Whirly-Birds: A Study in Biomimetics – In this activity, originally posted on the Science Buddies website, students simulate the work of “aerospace” engineers as they design paper whirlybirds with various types of “helicopter blades.” The flight performance of each type is tested. My class used to drop the whirlybirds from a second-story railing and watch them “fly” down to the hallway below. They loved this activity! I’m hoping to recreate the template for you, but in the meantime, the link will take you to a great description of the activity and background information to share with your students.

Create a Waterproof Shoe (demo)- from Generation Genius, an activity that demonstrates how we can copy nature in creating a coating that will make surfaces waterproof.

Biomimicry: Natural Design (Create Your Own) – this Teach Engineering activity provides comprehensive information about biomimicry and includes a hands-on activity in which pairs of students develop prototypes of products inspired by designs in nature. My second graders enjoyed brainstorming possibilities!

Sparking Children’s Thinkability (TPT- free) – several videos and simple activities for young children related to biomimicry.

FOR OLDER STUDENTS:

Biomimicry ~ The STEMAZing Project

Hands-On Activity ~ Biomimicry: Natural Design (Teach Engineering)

What’s really exciting is that there are new discoveries in biomimicry and new applications and innovations conceived every year, so it will continue to be a fascinating topic of study. John Spencer shares about this topic HERE, and you can find inexpensive biomimicry teaching resources at Teachers Pay Teachers and elsewhere. If you do, please comment below so that we can all benefit! Also, if you are new to the site, you might like to subscribe in order to receive updates.