Biomimicry Projects for Homeschool Students
As homeschoolers, we have enormous advantages when bringing nature into the homeschool room. Introducing biomimicry into your home is a great opportunity to remove the magnifying glasses and binoculars and also the art supplies—a wonderful opportunity to mix science and art.
A biomimicry lens allows your kids to engage with nature and use their observations to solve problems or invent things. Biomimicry comes from the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate.
How mimicking nature inspires new ideas
Using nature as inspiration is not new. Leonardo da Vinci made numerous notes and sketches on the flight of birds. Although he never successfully created a flying machine, the Wright brothers, who did succeed in creating one, studied pigeons.
Yet biomimicry is a more focused approach where a biomimicrist uses various methods and tools specially developed to help us tap into nature’s secrets.
The invention of Velcro is an example of a design inspired by nature. George de Mestral invented Velcro in 1941. He was inspired by the burrs he found on himself and on his dog. He studied the burrs under the microscope and realised that the small hooks of the burr and the loops of the fur of the dog or the fabric of his clothes allowed the burr to adhere exceedingly well.
The thrill of a great idea!
By inspiring your kids to explore biomimicry, you allow them to be amazed by the natural world and discover the functions and strategies that nature uses. It is a way to explore the functions that animals and plants perform in their ecosystems. This approach is a creative way to explore underlying patterns and functions.
Memorisation is important when studying biology, but creative thinking is more important when engaging in biomimicry.
Biomimicry is about observing behaviours and functions and using these as a stepping-stone for ideas. There are no right or wrong answers or solutions. Building models and making sketches is a vital part of biomimicry.
How can I incorporate nature and biomimicry into my homeschool?
The term “nature study” means different things to different people. Many believe you must travel to specific spots to study animals, plants or fungi. But using biomimicry can mean spending time in your garden, local park, or museum.
There is a range of educational videos that are perfect for biomimicry. It is sometimes difficult to catch some behaviour, but watching a high-quality video can reveal secrets. It is also possible to watch a video several times, which can be very helpful when exploring how a caterpillar can walk upside down on a leaf.
Conduct classes outside
In the warmer months, you can pack lunches, supplies, and books for the day and head out. You can observe your natural area using sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch. Tuning into one or more of your senses can heighten your observations.
Select a colour and tell your kids to observe how this colour is used in a natural environment. Can you find any pattern in how the colour is used?
Daily or weekly walks to the same spot offer opportunities to notice patterns and changes. Simply immersing ourselves in nature means that we are open to discovery. For example, we might observe how a slug moves across the grass on a rainy day. Slime is a wonderful substance that helps slugs glide over things. The observation can spark ideas such as, “What if you could use slime under your shoes to walk home faster?”
Why biomimicry is suitable for homeschooling
- Encourages kids to ask questions – question-asking is an important skill.
- Time to explore a topic—allowing your kids time to ponder whether they are outside or inside, reading or watching a video and to turn this observation into a toy, robot, household equipment, or a way to help a friend or family member overcome a problem is a wonderful experience.
- Project-based learning encourages deep and complex learning.
- Ideas develop over time, and your kids can leave and return to a project after a couple of weeks. Great ideas sometimes require time to develop.
- It offers a wonderful opportunity to mix biology, chemistry, art and literature topics.
Rainy day options
Sometimes, staying outside for a long time is not possible. However, natural history museums and botanical gardens can provide great inspiration.
Your kids can build up a collection of natural artefacts; ensure you are responsible. Feathers from different birds can provide insight into how birds can fly. Bladderwrack is a fascinating algae that can be found on the beach. Imagination and creative thinking are required to come up with ideas.
“An idea inspired by our beachcombing was floating roundish solar panels that collect energy in the water, maybe even wave energy. The energy is sent to our homes via tiny strings. Live seaweed materials are used to construct these special solar and wave panels.”
Two approaches
You can start with a specific problem or design challenge in mind and then ask your kids to look for natural inspiration to solve the challenge. I think this approach suits older kids a bit better.
The opposite approach can successfully be used with younger kids, where you use their fascination with nature as a starting point. Imagination and creative thinking are used to develop an idea, and critical thinking is needed to ensure that the innovation or solution is working.
What impact should you see?
Biomimicry builds confidence and gives nature value. Your kids will be filled with awe for nature while they explore curious questions and use their observations to create, draw and build models of their ideas.
Teaching students to use creative techniques and tools is vital if they are to help solve problems they will face in the future. But most of all, biomimicry is tremendously fun!
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.