YOUTH CURRICULA
Feel free to use the following curricula to get started, and edit to suit your needs. If you have a curriculum piece on biomimicry you would like to share, please let us know. We offer this curricula without charge, however, if you would like to incorporate any of these curricula into your own fee-based educational products and services, please contact us.
All Grades
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
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ALL GRADES
**NEW** Nature Inspired Chemistry: Dye-Sensitized Solar Energy Lab
Dye-sensitized solar cells are inspired by photosynthesizing plants. They have many advantages over conventional silicon solar cells, which require energy intensive processes to create. The lab is an excellent hands-on illustration of a biomimetic technology. It’s been used successfully with students in upper elementary grades to undergraduates in college.
Learn more about Dye-Sensitized Solar Energy
Nature Inspired Chemistry: Concrete Without Quarries
This lab and lesson plan helps students explore how nature creates calcium carbonate, a compound needed to manufacture cement, at ambient temperatures and using abundant, readily available raw materials. The lesson plans address key chemistry education standards and are available for upper elementary grades through high school, including a version for home school. A video demonstrates the lab.
Learn more about Concrete Without Quarries
K-12 Educators’ Pathway and Resources Toolkit
In this toolkit, created for the Biomimicry Youth Challenge, we have assembled information to help educators become more knowledgeable about biomimicry and more comfortable teaching students about this fascinating approach to design and problem-solving.
Preview and download: Educators’ Pathway and Resources Toolkit
Biomimicry Design Approaches for K-12
Created for the Biomimicry Youth Challenge, this diagram and accompanying teacher resources introduces our “Biology to Design” and “Challenge to Biology” design methodologies to a K-12 Audience.
Preview and download: Biomimicry Design Approaches for K-12
Hunting and Gathering for Ideas
This outdoor activity is a staple of biomimicry education, useful for all audiences as a starting exercise in biomimetic thinking.
Preview and download: Hunting and Gathering for Ideas
Learning about Biomimicry through Poetry
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Ask the Planet – A musical introduction to biomimicry
Ask the Planet is the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute’s award-winning album of children’s music. Each track on the album has its own lesson plan. Learn more about the music and purchase the CD/MP3 here.
Preview and download: Ask the Planet Teaching Guides
Biomimicry and the Built Environment for 4th Grade (PowerPoint)
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Introduction to Biomimicry
Two versions of a week-long unit introducing middle school students to biomimicry. Choose from the Basic Introduction and an Introduction with Climate Change Case Study.
HIGH SCHOOL
Create a Biomimetic Shelter Activity
The biomimicry shelter assignment was prepared by Torrey McMillan and the students in her biomimicry class at The White Mountain School, spring term, 2008. The point of the activity is to help students gain an understanding of biomimetic design processes by choosing a region, a champion species, and then creating a shelter according to those conditions. The assignment, assessment, and a student example are posted below.
Biomimicry Shelter Lesson Plan
Shelter Assessment
Student Work Sample