Nature Unit Study for Fall: Mushrooms
As fall approaches and the temperatures cool, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of the nicer weather before it gets too cold. A fall nature unit study is a great way to get outdoors, and mushrooms are a fun, seasonal topic to explore. There are lots of ways you can incorporate a mushroom unit study into your fall homeschool. Searching out specimens on a nature walk, crafting paintings and models of mushrooms, and exploring the nutritional value and trying new recipes are all ways you can enrich your fall homeschool with a mushroom unit study.
An important note: this blog post offers tips for teaching children about mushrooms using hands-on activities and recipes. The following information is not meant to be used in identifying edible mushrooms in the wild, and all recipes should be made with mushrooms sourced from a grocery store or reliable grower.
This blog post from Mamaguru shares a variety of mushroom-themed, hands-on activities for preschoolers.
Childhood by Nature features a post with some great tips on mushroom hunting–not foraging! You can search out, identify, and document mushrooms in nature without harvesting or collecting any. Remember that you can still touch and smell mushrooms to aid in the learning process. The toxins in mushrooms must be ingested to cause harm. Use your own judgement in allowing younger children to interact with wild mushroom study in a hands-on manner.
Nature’s Nutritional SuperFood
Because mushrooms aren’t a fruit or vegetable, and they don’t “add any color to your plate,” it can be easy to forget about the health benefits of including mushrooms in your diet. Check out these nutrients common in mushrooms and their benefits, and learn some quick and easy ways to incorporate mushrooms into your cooking.
As with a lot of healthy foods, it can sometimes be hard to encourage kids to try new tastes and textures. These 15 kid-friendly mushroom recipes are a great resource for new and interesting recipes featuring mushrooms.
If you’d like to take your mushroom unit study further, you can even try your hand at growing your own mushrooms at home. It’s a great way to study the life cycle of a mushroom in real time, and there’s something very rewarding in being able to cook with foods you’ve grown yourself. Mushrooms are also relatively quick and easy to grow, so can be a great activity for kids.
Further Unit Study
If you’d like to take your mushroom unit study further, you can even try your hand at growing your own mushrooms at home. It’s a great way to study the life cycle of a mushroom in real time, and there’s something very rewarding in being able to cook with foods you’ve grown yourself. Mushrooms are also relatively quick and easy to grow, so can be a great activity for kids.
This mushroom unit study from The Crafty Classroom is a great example of how to combine a variety of activities into a fun unit study for your fall homeschool.
Megan Mora Fuentes
