In the summertime, bike riding is even more fun!
Yet there are several problems with bike riding. Frogs’ amazing bulging eyes and low, horse-like croaking sound inspired us to solve two of the most annoying problems.
- How do you talk to your best friend without shouting?
- How do you see everything that goes on behind you?
Anyone who has tried knows it is tricky to hold your line and keep your steering straight while looking behind you.
What if you could get a message about what goes on behind you?
A croaking message straight into your earphones.
Big eyes could collect visual information such as “Mum is now driving the car behind you” and sounds like your friend shouting, “Would you like to ride to our house and have a chocolate and raspberry frozen banana pop that I made this morning?”
Imagine getting that message straight into your earphones, and seconds later, your friend could pick up your “Yes!” in her cool CrokingMet.
Biomimicry is an exciting way to teach children to solve problems by using natural observations as inspiration. Besides using a creative, lateral, and critical approach to thinking, young children are learning to identify problems—a vital skill!
Inspiring curiosity and encouraging children to find answers, innovate, and design solutions is a fun way of giving them exactly what we hope life will be.
Exploring questions- fun, silly, and serious- that excite our minds and then looking for ways to put an answer together. Sometimes, the solution will work. Sometimes, especially when exploring the world with young children, the magic part of the solution means that the solution may not work—at least not yet!
Curiosity is everything.
Nature instils in everyone a sense of beauty and wonder.
Observing animals and plants promotes curiosity!
Your Turn: What problem do you run into every day — biking, walking to school, playing outside? Pick an animal you like and ask: what body part or ability could help solve it? CroakMet started with a question just like that.
You’ll find the resources here and here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature for solutions, then applying what we learn to design and problem-solving. Instead of inventing from scratch, it means studying how plants, animals, and ecosystems have already solved a challenge — like staying cool, collecting water, or absorbing carbon — and adapting that strategy for human use.
How does biomimicry help address climate change?
Nature has been adapting to extreme conditions for billions of years, so many organisms already hold working solutions to problems we now face at a larger scale — cooling buildings without electricity (termite mounds), collecting water in drought (the Namib beetle), protecting coastlines from storms (mangrove roots), and capturing carbon (corals, forests, kelp). Biomimicry means studying those solutions and applying the same principles to human design.
How can children get involved in biomimicry?
Children don’t need special training to think like a biomimicrist — just curiosity and a habit of asking “how does nature solve this?” Simple ways to start include a backyard scavenger hunt for nature’s patterns, a “design-an-animal” challenge for a changing climate, or building a small model (like a passive-cooling structure or a water collector) inspired by something they’ve observed outdoors.
Is biomimicry only for scientists and engineers?
No — biomimicry is as much a mindset as a profession. Anyone can practice it by observing nature closely and asking design questions. Professional biomimicry practitioners apply it in architecture, materials science, and engineering, but the same core skill — careful observation followed by “what if we built it that way?” — is exactly what this post’s classroom and family activities are designed to build in children.
Åsa Jomård
In 2015, Åsa completed a course in Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. With over 10 years of experience exploring nature for inspiration and as a former member of Ben, Biomimicry Education Network, she brings both academic background and creative teaching experience to her work. Her materials seamlessly integrate stories, nature observations, and design challenges, making them perfect for inquiry-led learning in early primary contexts.
AI was used as a Thinking Partner.
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