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Everyday Objects

Experimental Cities: Exploring Biomimicry with Microscopes

Explore how science and nature can work together to inspire the way our cities are built. This guide shows you how to build your own DIY microscope using everyday objects so you can zoom in and take a closer look at the amazing shapes, patterns and colours in the natural world around you.

Explore our other Experimental Cities activities

Need help?

Why won’t my camera focus?

Sometimes if you are too close to an object or too far away the camera can’t focus properly. Try moving your device around and giving your camera a couple of seconds to focus on what you’re looking at. We find having the camera about 1cm or 2cm away from the object works well.

What natural objects can I look at?

You can look at all types of natural objects but what works best is if they are thin so some light can show through them. This helps you to see their patterns more clearly. Ask an adult to help you cut a small piece off some fruit, or treasure hunt outside for leaves and flower petals.

Learn more about biomimicry

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