Biomimicry Trading Cards at PS 29’s Super Science Saturday!

This past Saturday, we created some GIANT inventions at PS 29’s epic Super Science Saturday! We were honored to be among three floors of super science activations, and thrilled to ideate, co-design, prototype, and create with so many enthusiastic families throughout the event! Families that joined us on Saturday had the chance to come up with their own inventions that were inspired by biomimicry!

During the event, families had the opportunity to design their own inventions inspired by biomimicry, a concept rooted in imitating nature. Guided by the book Biomimicry by Emmanuelle Walker and Seraphine Menu, which explores how nature has inspired inventions like radar from bats, pacemakers from whales, and durable clothing from the lotus flower, we encouraged students to think like designers. They were prompted to combine features from different animals to create unique inventions. We provided a variety of creative STEM craft materials for kids to build models of their inventions, and we were amazed by the diversity and creativity of their ideas.

After completing their hand-crafted inventions, kids visited our GIANT Remix stations, where they co-designed trading cards featuring their inventions, alongside AI-remixed versions of their inventions or the animals which inspired them. These cards were then printed with AI-generated backdrops. The excitement was palpable as each child saw their trading card come to life.

The enthusiasm spread quickly, and soon the room was filled with families creating their inventions with our STEM materials and then transforming them into trading cards. Our Creative Tech Specialists Michelle and Kazuki, along with Executive Director of Programming Maru, witnessed the joy and high-fives exchanged as the cards were printed and revealed.

We love co-designing with kids, and the fun continues this June at the GIANT Creative AI and Interaction Design Residency at School of Visual Arts. You can learn more and register here.