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Explore the outdoors! Reconnect with nature.
Explore the outdoors! Reconnect with nature.
Look for, identify, and learn about other organisms we share the Earth with - how a plant grows, why ants are so strong, or what allows a squirrel to climb.
Need inspiration? Look no further than nature. Head to the Biomimicry Institute: to explore 30 days of reconnection outdoors.
Share a pic of what you've seen, and we'll post it here too.
What can we learn from nature?
What can we learn from nature?
See fungus among us.
Survey nature.
Sense animal life.
Explore ecosystems.
What is Biomimicry? And, how does it spur innovation?
What is Biomimicry? And, how does it spur innovation?
Watch some cool videos to learn more...
Create a Biomimicry Nature Journal!
Create a Biomimicry Nature Journal!
Get a notebook and write:
Get a notebook and write:
Your name
Favorite animal (do a sketch too)
Your ecosystem/biome you live in
Which superpower you would want!
Each day, write the date, time and location.
Try and answer one of these prompts in 1-2 paragraphs every day:
What does regenerative mean to you? (as in systems, in life, our world, our environment, etc.)
Sit somewhere inside your home and split the page into 5 sections for your 5 senses: See, Hear, Smell, Taste, & Feel.
Take time to record observations for each sense, and then go outside and do the same. How do the two compare? What organisms do you see? How are they interacting with their surroundings?
Do you consider yourself as part of nature? Why? (yes, no, both)
List 5-7 words that come to mind when you think of a natural environment.
List 5-7 words that come to mind when you think of an unnatural environment.
Get deep: go to the American Museum of Natural History "Ology" (study of) site, and check out a video, story, game, or hands-on activity.
Read about the St. Andrew Cross Spider and its helpful UV Silk!
Read about the St. Andrew Cross Spider and its helpful UV Silk!
Week 2: Get in depth on designing biomimicry!
Week 2: Get in depth on designing biomimicry!
Since we are spending more time at home, design something in your environment that promotes good health and well-being. List things you already design and what you would like to design as well.
Observe a tree and consider the life system that it supports along its vertical axis.
Sketch the tree in your new Biomimicry Nature Journal and divide it into its vertical parts: canopy, exposed trunk, ground level, below ground level.
What types of life are being supported at these various levels? What relationships do these life forms have? What can this teach us about self-organization?
Go on AskNature.org and research different organisms and how they adapt to their environment.
Record 2 fascinating facts, and create a reasonable lie. Test your family and friends to see if they can guess which one is false!
Look into Biomimicry Taxonomy from the Biomimicry Institute.
Look into Biomimicry Taxonomy from the Biomimicry Institute.
3. Go on AskNature.org collections, and pick two organisms and one design idea that was inspired by nature from the collection and explore them deeper.
In your journal, write an interesting adaptation and why it is suited for the organism’s environment.
Sketch some ideas for a design you can make, and write a benefit this innovation can bring to the world.
4. Go on AskNature.org and choose one of Adventure Journal’s list of animal cams to observe the animal and the taxonomy.
In your journal record what functions you find in your cam, what organisms can be found in the ecosystems, and how they are behaving.
5. Go outside and collect a leaf/branch. Observe its shape, the color varieties, and texture.
Try and sketch what you see.
Reflect in your journal about its characteristics. What functions do they serve? Where are these functions needed in our world?
6. Experience Earth’s quiet places. If you and your family are stressed by digital noise, listen to nature in the few places untouched by civilization.
Reflect in your journal: what can we learn by listening deeply to our environment, plants, and animals around us? Take time to sit outside and record what you hear.
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