Biomimicry is a smart way to teach children to observe nature and to use it as inspiration to solve tough problems. The focus is on observing functions and the way nature solves problems. Nature is filled with unique designs and behaviours that help living things adapt to their environment and survive.
Biomimicry allows children to investigate nature and to focus their attention on amazing designs. Like the compound eyes of dragonflies. Using these observations as a stepping stone for getting new ideas teaches children not only to value nature but also how to use different approaches to thinking, from critical to lateral and creative.
Dragonflies have been hovering across our planet for the past 325 million years, and sadly many of these ancient insects are threatened by extinction. Loss of wetland habitats, insecticides, as well as pesticides, threaten these beautiful creatures that have inspired artists in many different ways – jewellery, pottery and poems.
The Dragon-fly
Dragonfly, dragonfly,
Sailing freely in the sky,
Gliding on the summer breeze,
Up and down as you please,
Flying alone, feeding in the sun,
Coming home when the day is done,
Free and happy in your heart,
Surely you a life’s a life apart.
Chinese nursery rhyme
Dragonflies have unequal wings, and they hold their wings out from the body. The beautiful insects have large eyes that often touch each other.
Dragonflies and bees have the largest compound eyes of any insect. Each eye may contain up to 30, 000 facets. The eyes wrap around the dragonflies’ heads which means that they can see in all directions at the same time. The forward-looking vision is sharpest.
When a dragonfly captures prey, it does not chase it; rather, it intercepts it in mid-air. The hunting is successful nearly 95 per cent of the time, which is very impressive since the technique requires the dragonflies to calculate the distance of their prey, the direction it is moving and the speed with which the prey is flying.
Cutting-edge research is now looking into insects’ eyes rather than the human visual system to get inspiration.
Does the dragonfly see hundreds of images of the same thing with its faceted eyes?
No, that idea is a myth. Each little compound eye facet has its own lens, rods and cones, and they all send signals to the dragonfly’s brain. But they still see one image, just like us. Each little eye in the big compound eyes is pointed in a slightly different direction.
The way a dragonfly sees is similar to how a picture is formed on a computer. A picture on a computer is made of many pixels that are in different places. Like the pixels in a picture on the computer, the information that a dragonfly gets from all its little eyes is put together to form an image.
Designing a robot that can detect and track small objects against a complex background is a challenge for robotics engineers. Dragonflies lock a target onto the background and let the target move against it. This approach is different from what we humans use, where we try to keep a target centred in the field of view.
Robots that track moving objects with the same sharp precision as dragonflies. The skill to filter out noise helps a dragonfly to catch its prey. A bit like a deep sleeper who will not wake up to everything, only their alarm. The light sleeper might wake up to any kind of stimuli.
Why not search the internet for colourful dragonfly eyes and make a sketch of the eyes. The units of the compound eye in most insects are hexagonal, so you can see some really striking patterns in the eyes of dragonflies. If you find several images, you may notice that the top part of the eye is a darker colour than the rest of the eye. One possible explanation is that the darker colours protect the eyes from direct sunlight. Dragonfly in sunglasses!
Or why not make a dragonfly mask with beautiful eyes?
You can cut out hexagons and make a cool robot that can track thieves or. . .
Photos Andreas Kay
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.
2 thoughts on “Curious Me – Dragonflies”