Happy New Year!
Imagine 2024 buzzing with ideas for exciting designs and inventions and ways to solve problems. Using nature as inspiration for projects in your classroom can result in not only engaging children but also spark curiosity and creativity!
Let’s start with a favourite topic – patterns in nature. Looking for patterns may be fun but can it be useful? A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about using the male ornate boxfish to gain insight into cancer research. Today, we will look at the design studio Nervous System.
Nervous System works at the intersection of science, art, and technology. Inspired by natural phenomena, they write computer programs based on patterns and processes found in nature. The studio uses the programs to create art, jewellery and housewares. You can even as a customer co-create products at their studio!
Below are a couple of videos and explanations for how patterns have inspired the designs.
Love this wood pendant lamp that casts dramatic shadows. It comes as 18 flat pieces that you snap together. The shape of the pieces is inspired by puzzle cells of leaves.
Porifera is a jewellery collection inspired by glass sponges. Glass sponges live in the deep sea and they have an intricate glass-like skeletal structure.
Xylem is a jewellery collection based on the process of vein formation in leaves. I found it fascinating to watch how the pattern is formed.
The Ammonite Puzzle is inspired by the whorled shell of a Nautilus. This marine mollusc is related to octopuses and squids and has challenged the designers to imagine a challenging spiral puzzle where the edge coils into the centre. Usually, you assemble a puzzle from the edge and work inwards.
Making your own puzzle is exciting! Your children will love making a puzzle inspired by patterns found in nature.
Have fun studying and creating!
Biomimicry for Young Children 