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Whats the best age to introduce the concept of Biomimicry?
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While biomimicry can be a difficult concept, I think that students of any grade level are capable of understanding the concept as long as it is introduced in a logical manner. NSTA has two fantastic resources that I've found very useful in teaching about biomimicry.
- Biomimicry: The Mystery of the Lotus
- Tried and True: Soil is More Than Just Dirt
Hopefully these resources will be useful to you as well!
Maureen
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I feel as if most content in science can be modified to every age. However biomimicry is a complicated topic. I was exposed to the actual term of "biomimicry" for the first time in the science college course I am currently taking. I don't believe that this should have been the first time I heard of it. I believe biomimicry can be experimented with as earlier as middle school. Students are focusing on relationships between organisms, as well as finding limiting factors in ecosystems. This is a way to expose student to ways that re rely on activity found in nature. Interactive YouTube videos can be used to help picture the meaning of biomimcry. An experiment using specific examples of biomimicry can be fun for students as well.
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I think biomimicry is appropriate for all ages. In elementary school, children may learn various topics that lead them to biomimicry. These topics may include examining different animals and their traits. Children should defiantly have some type of prior knowledge about animal characteristics. Once children have enough background knowledge, then they can learn about bio mimicry. These replications may help solve human problems, and students ought to learn about how biomimicry can be applied towards our advantage. I would probably feel comfortable introducing this topic to fifth grade or above.
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There was a great children's book called "Biomimicry" about two years ago on the Outstanding Science Tradebooks list. Look it up.
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Hi!
I am a student teacher and when I was writing my lesson plan about plants, I noticed that on the NGSS standards for kindergarten / first grade had biomimicry. I think that you can introduce biomimicry at a very young age, maybe even in preschool. When I was teaching my lesson about seeds and plants, I noticed that a few of my students were relating the seed coat to human skin or human coats (protection), nut shells to bike helmets, the stem to a straw that we use to drink water, and sticks, leaves and wood to create shelter. What impressed me the most was during one of my lesson segments (I think it was about pollination), one of my kinder students said that the hooks on a seed such as the bur seed is like velcro. It seems like it is possible to introduce some basic biomimicry related to student's life experiences / background knowledge at a very young age.
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That's absolutely fantastic! Biomimicry is my specialty. I, too, believe that young students can see the relationship between us and nature. It shows that you are never too young to notice it. You have amazing students and it's great that you are fostering those types of conversations.
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