You’ve discovered the mystery. You’ve met the young scientist. Now it’s your turn to be the inventor.
Three ways to explore this:
- Journal a transformation happening in nature right now
- Design your own “memory material”
- Ask your own big question, like Jonah did
Spring is the season of transformation.
Tadpoles become frogs. Caterpillars become butterflies. Seeds buried all winter push their way into the light. Everything that looked finished turns out to be just beginning.
And now you know something extraordinary: some of these transforming creatures carry their memories through the change. Something about who they were survives, even when almost everything dissolves and rebuilds.
That is wild. And it is also a gift because nature just handed us a powerful question for biomimicry:
What if our designs could transform completely… and still remember?
Metamorphosis in the Human World
Metamorphosis is already all around you, if you know how to look.
Think about a caterpillar turning to goop and rebuilding as a butterfly. Now think about:
Recycling — where old plastic melts down and becomes something completely new. Could it “remember” how to be strong, flexible, or safe, the way a butterfly seems to remember a smell?
Healing bodies — when you cut yourself, your skin cells dissolve parts of the wound and rebuild. What if medicines could mimic the way metamorphosis preserves essential information even through dramatic change?
Smart materials — scientists are already designing materials that can change shape when heated or wet. What if they could also “learn” from repeated use and get better over time — just like a caterpillar that remembers its training?
Memory in computers — when you restart a computer, it loses everything in its short-term memory. But some data is preserved permanently. Could we design systems inspired by the butterfly’s mysterious ability to carry certain memories through total transformation?
Your Spring Biomimicry Challenge
Here are three activities to try this spring — pick the one that sparks your curiosity most!
Activity 1: The Transformation Journal
Find a quiet spot outside. Look for any creature or plant in the middle of a change, a bud about to open, a caterpillar on a leaf, a bird building a nest. . .
Observe it carefully and write or draw:
- What is it like NOW?
- What will it become?
- What do you think it “keeps” through the change?
Activity 2: Design a Memory Material
Imagine you are an inventor. You need to design a material that can:
- Change completely (like melting or dissolving)
- Rebuild into a new shape
- Still “remember” one important quality from before
Sketch your material. What is it made of? What does it remember? How could it help people?
Activity 3: Ask a Big Question
Jonah’s discovery started with a simple observation — his butterflies seemed to remember him. Your turn.
Go outside and observe one spring animal or plant for 10 minutes. Write down one thing that surprises you. Then write the question that follows from your surprise. Share it with a friend or teacher!
Remember: in science, the question is always the beginning.
A Final Thought from Spring
Jonah’s story teaches us something beyond science. It reminds us that curiosity is its own kind of superpower. He wasn’t trying to be famous or to win awards. He was just trying to figure out whether his butterflies could remember him.
And that small, tender question opened a door that scientists are still walking through.
This spring, as flowers push up through the soil and butterflies emerge from their long transformation — ask your own small, tender question. Write it down. Follow it.
You never know where it might lead.
Happy exploring, nature detectives!
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.