Fly agaric, jelly ear, shaggy inkcap and sickener.
How many fungi can you identify?
And have you ever seen ghost fungus?
Fungi grow in a range of different environments. They live in the soil, on plants and animals, in fresh water and in seawater. They even grow on your body!
Many fungi are colourful, and some even light up in the middle of the night.
Fungi are pretty amazing, and they are providing inventors with great ideas.
What if we could grow materials for packaging?
What if mushrooms were used instead of plastic for packaging?
We can find single-use plastics everywhere on our planet – in the forest, on the beach and in the sea. We need materials for packaging that are strong, water-repellent and biodegradable. Fungi are an amazing inspiration. We can use the power of nature to grow things.
Fungi can provide us with inspiration for building cities and curing us of diseases.
Can you imagine a city built like a fairy ring?
Does it feel like jumping into another world when you imagine using fairy rings as inspiration? Surely there must be better approaches. . .
Photo: Fairy Rings
Fairy rings are naturally occurring rings of mushrooms, and the rings become more and more stable as the fungus grows and looks for food underground. This is a way for nature to make connections, something that is important when you try to build larger communities.
In a fairy ring, there is a complex flow of energy, nutrients, materials and information, while in a city there is infrastructure in a city with interconnected water, energy and food.
Usually, a town square of the main street is regarded as the most central part of a neighbourhood; however, this idea was not found in nature, where the edges are regarded as more vital. Nature often has colourful and attractive edges, for example, trees at the edge of a forest or plants. Thus, nature focuses the energy and attention on the edges.
What ideas do you get when you look at mushrooms?
Happy thinking diving into fairy rings, green glowing fungi and. . .
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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