Quest 9 – The nature of transport
LESSON CREATED BY Earth School Partners USING TED-Ed's LESSON CREATOR
Video from Vox YouTube Channel
Let’s Begin…
Like many parts of our society, transportation is human-made and nature-inspired. Examining seeds and birds taught us about flight. Fish and whales taught us how to fly faster. Ants are inspiring driverless cars. If we keep watching nature, can we make transport safer and greener? Start today’s Quest with a look at how the bullet train is based on a bird. After the video, continue onto other sections to learn more, interact, act and share.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Before you dive into the rest of this Quest, check out these videos to learn more about the important role of animals and plants in the creation of human-made transportation, and what environmental improvements their study might bring for our future:
Watch 1: Owls and Gliders
Watch 2: Shark Skin on an Airplane
Watch 3: The Yellow Box Fish, the hero of car design
Watch 4: Dragonflies to Saturn's Moon Titan (NASA)
LEARN + INTERACT
Host a paper plane contest. Ask your friends and family to join you and choose a different paper plane to build. Use your knowledge about inspiration from animals as you choose form, size, surface, and weight proportions of your paper plane. You can also check out this prototype for ideas: Airbus Maveric - a prototype with better environmental Performance. Once your planes are built, it’s time for takeoff! Fly your plane and measure the distance they travelled. Discuss why one went further than the other. (for all ages)
Create your own Nature Journal. Become more aware of the nature that surrounds you. Sharpen your senses and take notes. What do you hear, smell, see, and feel? How can what you observed make your everyday life easier and greener? Biomimicry professional Erin Rovalo has created a wonderful guideline. Here is Chapter One of her book iSites Nature Journaling for Biomimicry. (for ages 16+)
Take a study break and sing along with the best nature of transportation song: the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine! (for all ages)
ACT + SHARE
Create a transportation chart and figure out which animals have inspired the modes of travel that get you around. (for ages 9+)
Invent a vehicle inspired by at least 3 different animals and/or plants. To get started, think about these questions:
What is your vehicle used for: people or cargo (stuff)?
Is your vehicle fast, slow, comfortable, or functional?
Where does your vehicle travel: on the ground, in the air, or underwater? Is it a hybrid?
Is it mechanical or does it have a motor?
Check out Quest 6 on the nature of design to get some more inspiration. (for all ages)
Once you have a plan for your vehicle, build it with materials around your house like Legos, glue, tape, and clean trash. Give it a name, take a photo of your vehicle, and share it online with #EarthSchool. (for ages 5-13)
WANT MORE?
Watch: Future transportation will be unthinkable without artificial intelligence (AI). Discover how studying swarm intelligence helps create electric self-driving cars or flight robo-bees (NatGeo) that will be able to venture into hazardous areas in search and rescue situations. (for all ages)
Learn how the Marvel Comic Universe superheroes use biomimicry to save the world. Robert Downey Jr. speaks about biomimicry with Janine Benyus in this episode of the Age of AI YouTube series. (for ages 13+)
Read: Ants can also help cars to drive alone. (for ages 12+)
Play National Geographic’s Interactive Challenge: Robots! (for ages 9-16)
Join the conversation: How do you think artificial intelligence can help the environment? Read the article Artificial Intelligence—A Game Changer for Climate Change and the Environment by State of the Planet, Earth Institute and Columbia University, and share your opinion in the comment section. (for ages 18+)
Resources for Parents and Educators: Robots! Challenge, an educator's guide (NatGeo) (for ages 8-15)
This Earth School Quest was created by the following incredible educators and environmental experts: Juli Voss and Alison Lowndes
Watch 1: Owls and Gliders
Watch 2: Shark Skin on an Airplane
Watch 3: The Yellow Box Fish, the hero of car design
Watch 4: Dragonflies to Saturn's Moon Titan (NASA)
LEARN + INTERACT
Host a paper plane contest. Ask your friends and family to join you and choose a different paper plane to build. Use your knowledge about inspiration from animals as you choose form, size, surface, and weight proportions of your paper plane. You can also check out this prototype for ideas: Airbus Maveric - a prototype with better environmental Performance. Once your planes are built, it’s time for takeoff! Fly your plane and measure the distance they travelled. Discuss why one went further than the other. (for all ages)
Create your own Nature Journal. Become more aware of the nature that surrounds you. Sharpen your senses and take notes. What do you hear, smell, see, and feel? How can what you observed make your everyday life easier and greener? Biomimicry professional Erin Rovalo has created a wonderful guideline. Here is Chapter One of her book iSites Nature Journaling for Biomimicry. (for ages 16+)
Take a study break and sing along with the best nature of transportation song: the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine! (for all ages)
ACT + SHARE
Create a transportation chart and figure out which animals have inspired the modes of travel that get you around. (for ages 9+)
Invent a vehicle inspired by at least 3 different animals and/or plants. To get started, think about these questions:
What is your vehicle used for: people or cargo (stuff)?
Is your vehicle fast, slow, comfortable, or functional?
Where does your vehicle travel: on the ground, in the air, or underwater? Is it a hybrid?
Is it mechanical or does it have a motor?
Check out Quest 6 on the nature of design to get some more inspiration. (for all ages)
Once you have a plan for your vehicle, build it with materials around your house like Legos, glue, tape, and clean trash. Give it a name, take a photo of your vehicle, and share it online with #EarthSchool. (for ages 5-13)
WANT MORE?
Watch: Future transportation will be unthinkable without artificial intelligence (AI). Discover how studying swarm intelligence helps create electric self-driving cars or flight robo-bees (NatGeo) that will be able to venture into hazardous areas in search and rescue situations. (for all ages)
Learn how the Marvel Comic Universe superheroes use biomimicry to save the world. Robert Downey Jr. speaks about biomimicry with Janine Benyus in this episode of the Age of AI YouTube series. (for ages 13+)
Read: Ants can also help cars to drive alone. (for ages 12+)
Play National Geographic’s Interactive Challenge: Robots! (for ages 9-16)
Join the conversation: How do you think artificial intelligence can help the environment? Read the article Artificial Intelligence—A Game Changer for Climate Change and the Environment by State of the Planet, Earth Institute and Columbia University, and share your opinion in the comment section. (for ages 18+)
Resources for Parents and Educators: Robots! Challenge, an educator's guide (NatGeo) (for ages 8-15)
This Earth School Quest was created by the following incredible educators and environmental experts: Juli Voss and Alison Lowndes
We look forward to seeing your Quest in action!
Document your Quests— take photos of the experiments, activities, drawings, and writing prompts you tried— share your journey with the Earth School team and students by using #EarthSchool. We'll feature some of your photos and stories on our social channels, hopefully encouraging others to join the cause!
Explore additional creative activities (for all ages!) from the Nature of Society and save images of your work from each Quest in Littlescribe – later you can create an original card, book, magazine or calendar to bring your adventures to life!
Document your Quests— take photos of the experiments, activities, drawings, and writing prompts you tried— share your journey with the Earth School team and students by using #EarthSchool. We'll feature some of your photos and stories on our social channels, hopefully encouraging others to join the cause!
Explore additional creative activities (for all ages!) from the Nature of Society and save images of your work from each Quest in Littlescribe – later you can create an original card, book, magazine or calendar to bring your adventures to life!
