There's Fungus Among Us!

MUSHROOM - Nope...not a room of mush or for mush.

mush·room

ˈməSHˌro͞om,ˈməSHˌro͝om/noun

noun: mushroom; plural noun: mushrooms

1.

a fungal growth that typically takes the form of a domed cap on a stalk, often with gills on the underside of the cap.

The children listened carefully to Mr. Fields talk about oyster mushrooms and explain what they would be planting today.

Mr. Fields explains to the children that straw is in the bucket. He had already pasteurized the straw before bringing it into our classroom. Mr. Fields explains to the children the word pasteurizing means boiling the straw in water. Pasteurizing the straw reduces the fungi and bacteria that is present in the straw.

The children filled their bags half full with the pasteurized straw.

 

The children stuffed oyster mushrooms into the straw, making sure they were all covered. "The straw feels wet and it's sticking to my fingers!" said Kate. 

"The mushroom is white and brown in colour." Mia noticed. 

After we were done using the pasteurized straw we put the leftovers in our worm house for our compost worms. Our compost worms were in for a great treat today!

Then of course we had to explore and investigate our compost worms. "The worm is tickling my hand when it crawls on my hand." Jackson exclaimed.
"Some worms are longer and some worms are shorter." Maia replied.

The children used magnify glasses to take a closer look at the mushrooms.  Jackson noticed, "The mushrooms have lines through it." 

Danica added, "The mushrooms feel lumpy."
The children also decided to explore and investigate the wild mushrooms we had on our science table. The children discussed the similarities and differences  
between the mushrooms.
Danica observed, "The big wild mushroom feels fuzzy and the oyster mushroom 
feels bumpy."

After we were done stuffing the bags with mushrooms we twist tied the bags shut.

Jackson shared what he had learned, "We have to cut holes in the bag so the air can get through to the mushrooms and help them grow."

After all the bags were full, twist tied and ready to go, the 

children decided to conduct a little experiment. 

The children decided to put the bags of mushrooms in two different spots to see which area in the classroom would grow the mushrooms the quickest. 

They put half of the bags on top of the fridge and the 

other half in the cupboards in our kitchen. 

Which will grow the mushrooms the best? A place with lots of sunlight? Or a dark place? 

Only time will tell!

 Stay tuned for updates and children's observations.