Biomimicry Examples for Kids and Free Resources to Teach It

Did you know that nature inspires innovation? This is called biomimicry. These resources to teach kids about biomimicry will help your kids explore how nature solves challenges in life.

What is Biomimicry?

Biomimicry is defined as a method that focuses on creating solutions to human challenges by emulating ideas and designs found in nature. 

Yes! God’s creation is magnificent. Of course, we could perfect and improve innovation by mimicking the work of the Creator. It makes perfect sense.

How Living Things Adapt

Creation is full of an amazing assortment of living things and unique designs or behaviors that help everything in nature to adapt. Living things tend to just plainly, survive, even in the most extreme of circumstances.

Learning by Observing Created Traits

This is why more humans, scientists, engineers, and architects just to name a few, are learning from these created traits to develop their designs, products, and architecture. They are taking biomimicry into consideration as they attempt to “build better.”

Biomimicry Examples for Kids

Here are some super cool examples of mimicry in science, engineering, and innovation that were influenced by nature-inspired design.

Kingfisher birds inspired bullet trains (like the one in Disney!).

The high-speed trains needed to be improved to eliminate this debilitating sound made from a shock wave while moving through the tunnels called a “tunnel boom.”

To minimize this boom, Japanese engineers mimicked the Kingfisher bird beak which causes minimal splash as it enters the waters. Creating this new nose shape, the trains were 10 percent faster, consumed 15 percent less electricity, and, most importantly, no more “boom.”

Humpback whales influenced the new models of wind turbines.

The Humpback whales use bumpy, tubercle fins with small ridges for propulsion. Using a model that mimicked these whale fins, the U.S. Naval Academy developed biomimetric blades that reduced drag by a third and even improved life by 8%.

These adjusted blades also help generate the same amount of power at 10 miles per hour than conventional turbines that generate at 17 miles per hour.

Photosynthesis and leaves to clean air and end fossil fuel consumption.

This type of innovative process is called artificial photosynthesis, where a bionic leaf creates hydrogen fuel from the sunlight. This has hopes to be a potential global energy breakthrough by splitting water using electricity from the sun.

There are no emissions from this type of renewable fuel.

A shark’s skin as an influence for boat surfaces.

Researches have redesigned a boat surface to mimic a shark’s skin to help ships move better through the waters and keep their hulls free from branches. Shark skin has even inspired swimsuits and wetsuits.

Biomimicry Examples for Kids

Check out more examples of this mimicking of God’s work to troubleshoot issues in our world:

• 7 Brilliant Examples of Nature-Inspired Design | Digital Trends
• Biomimicry Articles | Answers in Genesis
• 6 Amazing Innovations Inspired by Nature – Biomimicry | Off Grid World
• Design Found in Nature Inspires Innovation | Institute of Creation Research
• Biomimicry Examples | Answers in Genesis
• The Future of Innovation is Here: 8 Inventions from Nature’s Laboratory | Biomimicry Institute

Biomimicry Projects for Kids

Explore these resources to teach kids about biomimicry in your homeschool:

• What is Biomimicry? | WiseGeek
• Nature Drawing and Biomimicry Journaling | Think Dive Biomimicry
• Biomimicry: Project Ideas and Lesson Resources | STEM Learning
• Robots and Biomimicry Activity FREE Worksheets+Video | tes.com
• 1-LS1-1 Biomimicry 1st Grade Digital Interactive Notebook | Dawn Graham
• Biomimicry PDF Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool | SurfNetKids
• Biomimicry Playing Cards | Nature-based Education Consulting
• The Biomimicry Manual: What Can Sloths Teach Us About Energy Efficiency? | Inhabitat
• Project-Based Learning, Insects, Lapbook – STEAM, Biomimicry | Sparking Children’s Thinkibility
• 9 Basic Principles of Biomimicry | Biomimic Academy
• Project-based learning: Giraffes Freebie – STEAM, Biomimicry | tes.com

Biomimicry Activities

These activities and resources will help you to teach your kids about biomimicry:

• Distance Learning Science Adaptations STEM Project Biomimicry NGSS Life LS4 | Professor Doubter NGSS SCIENCE Resources
• Biomimicry Institute’s Youth Design Challenge (YDC) | biomimicry Institute
• Project-Based Learning for GOOGLE Classroom™, Hummingbird, Butterfly, Biomimicry, NGSS | Sparking Children’s Thinkibility
• FREE: Life Science NGSS 1-LS Rubric (myBiomimicry Discovery Cards) | STEM Roots
• Ask the Planet Song and FREE Activity | Biomimicry Institute
• Finding Symmetry in Nature (Outdoor Math Activity for Kids) | Buggy and Buddy
• Easily Boost Your Child’s Math Skills With Nature Patterns (Free Printable) | One Time Through

Biomimicry Videos Kids:

• Biomimicry | Search Creation and Evolution
• Definition & examples of biomimicry (explained with drawings) | Sustainability Illustrated
• Biomimicry: Fish Behaviour Inspires Design of Collision-Free Vehicles | AutoConceptionTV
• What does it mean that the heavens declare the glory of God? | Got Questions Ministries
• The Universe, Galaxies, Planets, Stars -The heavens declare the glory of God | Answers in Genesis

In Conclusion

I have hopes that as scientists look more into the natural world to answer human questions, they begin to see, more and more, that the severely erroneous idea of evolution is impossible.

I pray that they see the endless evidence for a Creator and the grave problems with the Theory of Evolution or the Big Bang Theory. It honestly takes more to believe in evolution and the big bang, than to have faith in a sovereign and omnipresent Creator.

Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky/firmament above proclaims his handiwork.”