Biomimicry
Designed and facilitated by STEMAZing Teacher Leaders Ginny Wheeler and Patricia Patchin
Did you know that a medicine used to treat Type 2 Diabetes was inspired by the saliva of a Gila Monster, and camouflage clothing was inspired by tigers? At this workshop, you will be amazed to learn how scientists, designers, architects, and many others are inspired by nature to solve human problems. This is called biomimicry! Through hands-on and minds-on activities, educators learned ways to inspire your students to solve human problems through the lens of nature.
Biomimicry Lessons and Resources
Ask Nature
Life on earth presents elegant solutions to many of the challenges that designers and innovators face every day. Explore AskNature to find biological strategies, inspired ideas, and resources relative to your own innovation challenges, so ...
Beetle-inspired Water Bottle
How a desert beetle made self-filling water bottles possible. Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...
Biomimicry PowerPoint Presentation from the Workshop
This is the presentation from the workshop with links to videos that were used during the workshop. ...
Bird-stopping Spider Glass
Weave done it! Scientists make a new type of bird-stopping glass inspired by a SPIDERWEB. Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...
Design Inspirations from RAFT
Combine two unrelated ideas to inspire a creative new design! Engineers often use everyday objects to stimulate creative ideas. For example, an early ballpoint pen designer might have had a flash of inspiration while looking ...
Evolution by Natural Selection
Simulate evolution with some colorful “critters” and carnivorous “beaky birds”. Simulations are helpful to demonstrate processes like evolution that take place over many years. Observe how adaptations such as camouflage help organisms survive and pass ...
Exploravision
The ExploraVision competition for K-12 students engages the next generation in real world problem solving with a strong emphasis on STEM. ExploraVision challenges students envision and communicate new technology 20 years in the future through ...
Gecko-inspired Adhesive
Sticky Science: Gecko Toes Key to Adhesive That Doesn't Lose Its Tackiness Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...
Gila Monster Diabetes Drug
The Greatest Hope for Diabetes Is the Gila Monster—and It’s About to Go Extinct Its spit contains enzymes that treat diabetes—but the lizard could be on its way to extinction. Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...
Going Places by Peter H. Reynolds
A go-cart contest inspires imagination to take flight in this picture book for creators of all ages, with art from New York Times bestselling illustrator Peter H. Reynolds ...
GoNoodle
Get kids moving with GoNoodle - hundreds of videos which can be used for active brain breaks. Research supports movement and activity contributing to focus and learning. Get a FREE teacher account! ...
Habits of a Systems Thinker
The Habits of a Systems Thinker help learners understand how systems work and how actions taken can impact results seen over time. They encompass a spectrum of strategies that foster problem-solving and encourage questioning. The ...
Interference Paint
In this activity, students learn about structural color while exploring interference paints. Students compare interference acrylic paints to normal acrylic paints. Students also observe how the color of the paint changes when it’s applied to ...
Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes
With a simple text and vivid full-color photographs, Stephen R. Swinburne shows children a wide range of nature's exquisite designs. He invites children to open their eyes and look for patterns in water and on ...
Lotus Paint
Eco-Friendly House Paint Inspired by the Self-Cleaning Lotus Flower Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...
Matrix of Crosscutting Concepts from NSTA
A look at the Crosscutting Concepts from K-12 so educators can see the progression ...
Newsela
By combining real-time assessments with leveled content from premier daily news sources and eminent nonfiction publishers, Newsela makes reading to learn relevant, interesting, and effective regardless of interest or ability. Adjustable Lexile levels for the ...
Peacock Feather Engagement
To engage students with structural color ideas, a peacock feather was drawn, then put underwater for five minutes, removed, and redrawn to record the change in colors when it is wet ...
Prompts for Integrating Crosscutting Concepts Into Assessment and Instruction
Prompts for both formative and summative assessment for each of the crosscutting concepts. Great for thinking about the questions you ask students as they are doing science and engineering projects. STEM Tool #41 from STEM ...
R.A.F.T. Resource Area for Teaching
Resource Area for Teaching has loads of Idea Sheets which you can search through for exceptional, #STEMontheCheap ideas like Design Inspirations ...
Reid Park Zoo Teacher Resources
Spark your students’ interest in wildlife, conservation, and science at the Zoo! They offer a variety of resources and discounts for teachers ...
STEMAZing Journal Hack
Make graph paper STEMAZing journals that require no staples or tape using an old bookbinding trick ...
Termite Architecture
How Termites Inspired Mick Pearce's Green Buildings Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...
Venn Diagram With Lines
Used for brainstorming related to the Design Inspirations lesson from RAFT ...
WhatIsNano.org
A great collection of resources for teaching about nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers ...
Wind Farms and Schools of Fish
CalTech Researcher John Dabiri Uses Biomimicry to Design Cheaper, More Efficient Vertical Axis Wind Farms Inspired by Schools of Fish Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...
Woodpecker-inspired Helmet
Creature Feature: Woodpeckers are Pros at Protecting Their Brains Biomimicry Jigsaw article ...