Nature's Many Uses
This activity encourages pupils to draw connections between how natural objects often have many uses (multifunctionality) and its potential applications in human innovation and design.
Age Group: 9-12 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Biomimicry Connections:
This activity focuses on exploring the concept of multifunctionality in the natural world and drawing connections between this natural diversity and its potential applications in human innovation and design. By encouraging pupils to observe and ponder the many roles that natural objects play in their ecosystems, it underscores how nature banks on diversity.
Activity Details:
Tools and Materials
- Outdoor area to find natural objects
Description
In this activity, pupils are encouraged to explore and observe natural objects, while thinking about the different functions each object might have.
- Ask pupils to go outside and find a natural object they like.
- Let them think: how many functions do each of these objects have? What are they?
- Now, can they find a natural object that only has one function?
This activity is based on the fact that almost everything in nature has multiple uses and can be repurposed in different ways, as opposed to human-made objects. Leaves, for example, provide shade, transport water and produce oxygen. Read more here.
