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 … Read more
For many years, the thought of guiding students in a study of the systems of the human body did not overly excite me. This is not like me. I’m interested in almost everything. I love to learn. Perhaps it has something to do with the way they were taught to me when I was in … Read more
If you have animal lovers in your class, especially dinosaur fanatics, you may have some students who find it intriguing and fun to learn the scientific names of animals. Beginning in early grades, students are introduced to the classification of living things. However, lessons in the lower grades usually focus on the main classes of … Read more
Our third grade GT studies revolved around the universal theme of SYSTEMS. A great way to introduce the concept of a system is through activities involving electric circuits. We had some wonderful STEM kits, including Little Bits, which provide everything needed to build working items such as doorbells and buzzers. However, before pulling out these … Read more
