In a local park not far from our house, there are lots of rabbits running around. Watching the bouncy rabbits is always an exciting time. Rabbits are also a common pet. And pets can provide the perfect inspiration for new ideas.
A Rabbit’s Life Cycle
Before you can be a good rabbit detective, it helps to know what you’re actually looking at. Wild European rabbits are born after about a month inside their mother — and unlike some baby animals, rabbit kits arrive blind, hairless, and completely helpless, tucked safely into a fur-lined burrow their mother digs just for them. Within about a week, their eyes open. By four to five weeks old, they’re weaned and starting to explore outside the burrow. By the time they’re just a few months old, they’re already grown up enough to have kits of their own — which is part of why rabbit populations can grow so quickly.
A single female rabbit can have several litters in one year, with anywhere from four to twelve kits in each one. That’s a lot of new rabbit detectives to keep an eye on!
What if you were trapped in a cage with no friends or toys to play with? Pet rabbits may get bored and lonely. In the wild, they have tunnels, climbing tree stumps, and twigs. They also have lots of friends. Can you imitate rabbits’ natural environment and design some toys for pet rabbits?
Here’s one idea to get you started: a cardboard tunnel maze. Tape together a few empty cardboard tubes and boxes into a winding tunnel, just like the burrow system a wild rabbit would dig. Cut a few extra holes along the way for “escape routes,” and hide small treats inside for your rabbit to sniff out. It’s a simple way to bring a little bit of the wild burrow into a pet rabbit’s world.
This is biomimicry in its simplest form — not copying what a rabbit looks like, but copying what its life actually needs: tunnels to explore, safe hiding spots, and company.
For more ideas and facts about rabbits and their life cycle — including hands-on exercises to explore it further — please check out this booklet.
Link to STEM – Be a Rabbit Detective – Life Cycle, Biomimicry, Inspiration for Ideas
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.