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In this comparative case study, we used activity theory to explain how and why different middle-school STEM teachers from the same professional development community made different curricular adaptation choices for biomimetic design activities. Analysis of teacher interviews, classroom observations, and lesson artifacts revealed that teachers’ choices for biomimicry activities were particularly influenced by confidence with and access to particular tools and by rules related to learning goals and time constraints. 

Multi-scale instabilities are ubiquitous in atmospheric and oceanic flows and are essential topics in teaching geophysical fluid dynamics. Yet these topics are often difficult to teach and counter-intuitive to new learners. In this paper, we introduce our state-of-the-art Do-It Yourself Dynamics (DIYnamics) LEGO robotics kit that allows users to create table-top models of geophysical flows. Deep ocean convection processes are simulated via three experiments – upright convection, thermal wind flows, and baroclinic instability – in order to demonstrate the robust multi-scale modeling capabilities of our kit. Detailed recipes are provided to allow users to reproduce these experiments. Further, dye-visualization measurements show that the table-top experimental results adequately agree with theory. In sum, our DIYnamics setup provides students and educators with an accessible table-top framework by which to model the multi-scale behaviors, inherent in canonical geophysical flows, such as deep ocean convection.