The best inspiration, apart from spending time in nature, is picture books. I am passionate about all sorts of books, and children’s books are no different. Wonderful pictures, exciting stories, and silly rhymes are the best way to get ideas. The best picture books contain plenty of opportunities for learning, yet it does not feel like learning.
Save Our Species: Endangered Animals and How You Can Save Them by Dominic Couzens
This is a stunning practical guide to understanding and preserving 30 plants and animals that are on the decline in Britain. The book is brimming with information about well-loved creatures such as hedgehogs, puffins, and nightingales. Species that sadly have been in decline in the UK since the 1950s and 1960s.
With beautiful illustrations from Sarah Edmonds, lesser-known British animals such as the pink sea fan and the grey long-eared bat are also included. I love that this book offers suggestions on what we need to do to help the animals so that they have the best chance of survival.
Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature: Amazing Animals and the Magical Creatures of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts by The Natural History Museum
Wow! This book is a real treat and a book that I will return to again and again. It is will delight both naturalists and Harry Potter fans. The perfect combination of both. The book explores the magical creatures from J.K.Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as the mythological and real creatures of our Muggle world.
A range of experts and conservationists begin each chapter with an essay written about the creature. Filled with spectacular information and wonderful pictures and illustrations. The book is inspired by an exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London.
Wild City: Meet the animals who share our city spaces by Ben Hoare
Wildlife is all around us even if you live in a city. Many animals live close to our doorsteps, and this amazing book introduces some of the wildlife that you can find in urban settings. Amazing, detailed illustrations by Lucy Rose transport you to the often hidden wildlife that thrives in big cities. Learn about why Cape Town attracts lots of sea life. Do you know where reptiles like to stay in Bangkok?
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.