Nature's Engineers

A paper sculpting activity for you and your child to do together at home. Build tiny 3D buildings using shapes and patterns from nature, mostly with paper from your recycling.

You don't need to be an artist, an engineer or a teacher. Curiosity is enough.

[ Hero illustration ]

What is biomimicry?

Biomimicry is the practice of looking at how nature solves problems and borrowing those ideas to design what humans need.

Plants and animals are clever. They've worked out how to stand up, stay cool, find food and hide. We copy their ideas to make useful things, like skyscrapers shaped like termite hills or trains with noses like a bird's beak, or sticky tape inspired by gecko feet.

Make it together

iOi Challenge

Use shapes and patterns from nature to invent 3D paper buildings.

You will need

Scrap paper, junk mail and newspaper
Cereal boxes and cardboard packaging
Toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes
A paper plate or pizza box for a base
Tape (any kind)
Scissors
A pencil, plus pens or crayons
Glue stick (optional)
A magnifying glass or phone camera (optional)

Swap anything you don't have for something else.

Try these

Different ways to turn flat paper into 3D shapes. Have a play with each one before you start.

[ Shapes ]

Shapes. Cut a strip of paper and fold it. Three folds make a triangle, four make a square, five make a pentagon. Tape or glue the ends together.

[ Feet ]

Feet. Snip slits along the bottom of your shape and tape them flat to a base. This stops it falling over.

[ Fringe ]

Fringe. Cut lots of little snips into a strip of paper. Curl them around a pencil to make grass or curly hair.

[ Pleats ]

Pleats. Play with pleats: fold a strip back and forth like a fan. The more folds, the more texture; stretched right out it becomes stairs, bridges, flower shapes.

[ Curls ]

Curls. Wrap a strip of paper around a pencil, tight or loose. Slide it off and tape the end down. Use them for towers, domes or spiral stairs.

[ Quilling ]

Quilling. Make a shape (a circle, heart or square) out of a strip of paper. Roll another strip tightly and slot it inside.

[ Spirals ]

Spirals. Cut into a shape and keep going round and round towards the middle. Pull the middle up and watch it grow taller. Tape each end down.

Get started

Go on a nature hunt. Pick up leaves, peer at flowers, turn over rocks and shells. Bring home small things you find: a leaf, a twig, a feather. A magnifying glass or phone camera helps you see the patterns.

If you can't get outside, look out the window, or search for close-up nature photos on your phone.

Have a go

Pick a plant, animal or pattern. A snail shell, a leaf, a honeycomb.
Decide what your building is for. A school, a shop, a library, a home.
Make the shapes using the techniques above. Try one, then another.
Stick them onto a base and start building your city. A paper plate or pizza box works well. If it falls down, try a bigger base or thicker tape.
Decorate it. Add doors, windows, signs, tiny paper people. The more detail, the better it gets.

Tinker

Once you've got your first building, try other things from the recycling.

Try egg cartons for beehive walls or stacked apartment blocks.
Half a plastic bottle makes a dome or a tank.
Bubble wrap around a tube gives you a textured wall.

Or stay with paper and build a whole street or a city.

Share what you make

We love seeing what families make at home. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook (@instituteofimagination) or email hello@ioi.london.

You don't have to share. Some of the best buildings stay on the kitchen table for a week and then go in the recycling. That's also a success.

Why not share this activity with others?

Institute of Imagination