Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Biomimicry and Camelids

15 minutes

Find Out: Exploring Biomimicry

30 minutes

Take Action: Design your own invention inspired by camelids!

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: What Is Biomimicry?

Step 1

Show your students the first slide on the attached visual explainer and ask them, “What do all three of these inventions have in common?’ Give your class a few minutes to discuss with the people around them.

Once you have discussed the possibilities as a class, show your students the next slide of the visual explainer, which shows where the inspiration for these designs came from. All of these inventions were designed using inspiration from nature. Velcro mimics the action of burrs, which have small hooks that latch onto the looped fibres of fabric. The bullet train uses the aerodynamic design of the kingfisher bird, and wind turbine blades have small bumps on their outer edges inspired by the tubercules (the grooves you can see in the third image) of whales, which help to reduce drag in the air!

Step 2

Discuss with your students why they think scientists, designers and engineers would look to nature for inspiration when designing.

Suggested response: Humans are a relatively young species, but the plants, animals and microbes around us have been constantly adapting and evolving over millions of years to better survive on our planet. We can use their research and development to help us to survive and thrive on the planet as well! The practice of looking to nature and mimicking the design strategies of other organisms in order to solve human design challenges in a sustainable way is called biomimicry.

Step 3

Watch the following video with your students to show them the concept of biomimicry in more detail.

What is Biomimicry? - Fast Company (youtube.com/watch?v=FBUpnG1G4yQ)

After watching the video, discuss with your students why looking to nature to solve design challenges in a sustainable, interconnected way is more important than ever.

Suggested response: Climate change is a complex and interconnected challenge for our world. Over millions of years and previous changes to Earth's climate, nature has evolved mechanisms to balance ecosystems and thrive in harsh and changing environments. By using biomimicry, we can look to these ecosystems and organisms that flourish in these conditions and use them as inspiration to design more sustainable ways of human survival and thriving.

Find Out: Exploring Biomimicry

Step 1

Invite your students to explore asknature.org, a website that has put together more than 1700 strategies for living things that can serve as inspiration for design! Encourage students to spend a little time exploring the different biological strategies and innovations listed on the website before choosing one that interests them. Once they find their example, students should answer the following questions (available on the student worksheet).

What is the strategy?
Which living thing does it come from?
How does this feature help the living thing to survive?
How can it be used in human design to help us survive and thrive?

Invite your students to share their chosen strategy in pairs, and then choose a couple to discuss with the class.

Recommended Prior Knowledge

In the previous lesson in this mini-unit, Adaptations of Camelids, students learnt about the Year of Camelids. The United Nations has declared 2024 the International Year of Camelids to highlight how these animals are key to the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. Camelids include Bactrian camels, dromedaries, guanocos, llamas, alpacas and vicunas. These amazing animals contribute to food security, nutrition, economic growth, and culture for many communities worldwide.

If you didn’t complete the previous lesson in this unit, watch the following video with your students to highlight the Year of Camelids! (You can find some images of the different types of camelids on the attached visual explainer)

International Year of Camelids 2024 - Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (youtube.com/watch?v=ccnzotps124&t=73s)

If your students need a refresher on adaptations, the previous lesson also has some information you can share with your students. For a super quick refresher, you can’t go past the Camel Adaptations song! Some camel adaptations are summarised below for discussion with your students.

The Adaptation Song with lyrics - Tony Cole (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Boo1nSo73Gs)

Wide feet	Keeps them from sinking in the sandy desert
Long, thick eyelashes	Prevents sand from blowing into their eyes
Fat filled hump	Energy storage for when food is scarce
Thick, shaggy coat	Provides insulation against the intense heat of the desert during the day and helps retain body heat during cooler nights.
Thick lips	Allow them to eat thorny plants found in the desert
Pads on their feet and chest	Provides a barrier between their bodies and the hot sand, meaning they can sit or stand for long periods.

Step 4

Brainstorm with your students all of the adaptations of camels and camelids they remember from the previous lesson (or the refresher activity) onto the board.

As a class, discuss how these adaptations help these animals survive in harsh environments.

Then ask: how could humans use some of these adaptations to create designs that help us thrive?

Take Action: Design Your Own Invention Inspired by Camelids

Step 1

Explain to your students that camels and camelids, such as alpacas, llamas, guanacos and vicunas, are well known for their ability to thrive in desert environments. They are adapted to deal with extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, as well as limited access to water. These factors are extremely important when thinking about our current climate.

Watch the following video with your students, which details some of the interesting adaptations of camels that could be used in design and engineering.

How do camels stay cool? | Scienticious - Episode 8 - TRT World (youtube.com/watch?v=Yf_iiAitt1s)

Step 2

Your students' task is to choose an adaptation of a type of camelid and design something that could make life easier for humans living in these harsh conditions. This could be as simple as navigating across sandy deserts or as complex as cooling systems.

Divide your students into groups of 3-4. Groups should choose an adaptation of the camel or its camelid relatives and design an item or system that humans can use to thrive in harsh conditions such as deserts and highlands where these animals live.

Students should present their ideas as a poster or presentation and make sure they include the following information:

The type of camelid they are focusing on
Where this camelid lives and the features of its environment
The adaptation and how this enables the camelid to survive
What problem their design idea is trying to address
A visual representation of their design
Explanation of how their design works using the inspiration from the animal

To provide students with some inspiration, they could look into these biological strategies of camels from the asknature.org website.

Step 3

Invite your students to present their ideas to the class in the form of a gallery walk, where each design is displayed or positioned around the room. Encourage the presenting groups to explain the features of their design and other students to ask questions.

Reflection

Reflect on this lesson with your students by asking the following questions.

If you could choose one feature from a camelid to have on your own body:

What would it be and why?
How could it help you to thrive in our changing world?

Using Adaptations of Camelids for Design

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

Using Adaptations of Camelids for Design

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables