FOR SCHOOLS
Start off with
us!
Learn with
us!
Keep on researching!
Currently, there are five designated schools taking part in the project, with whom previous contact has been built. Our ambition is to try out our initiative in the most diverse of surroundings, thus helping different classrooms. In case you are reading these lines from one of these five schools, we are sincerely happy that we can work together and we can’t wait to meet you very soon on our first workshop!
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Start off with us!
In case you came across our project as a teacher, parent or enquirer and did not make contact with us previously, we suggest you look up our
“For enquirers” subpage.
There you will find every bit of information about our initiative. Should you wish to join our programme, we have compiled a FAQ page for you to browse through as well.
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If you are reading from one of the schools we will soon be visiting, here are some useful information in advance
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Appointments and the course of the workshops will be consulted with the contact teacher via email to make the programmes as suitable as possible for every class. The project is primarily built for 4th-6th graders.
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To grant children the opportunity to progress and learn at their own pace, in their own way, we design our workshops based on discussions preceding our visit to each classroom.
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We recommend you let children know that soon they will be building an indoor garden, especially if the topic of mushrooms can be linked to the upcoming theme of a subject. However, please keep details from them, since only with surprise can excitement truly bloom as far as sheer experiences are concerned.
What we ask of the schools:
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Time
(one workshop takes approximately 2-3 classes of time)
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Space in classrooms
(the garden requires an approximately 1x1 metres of space)
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Some useful tools
beamer, broom for cleaning up
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Enthusiasm
of course we are bringing a load of it with ourselves, we only need the initial attention of the children, after that we will take off with our playful exercises
What the Mushroom Classroom project is providing
the school:
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Materials for the garden and planting the mushrooms
(the fungus spores and straws necessary for the plantation as well as the garden’s wooden stand are provided)
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All the tools for the playful exercises
(apart from the beamer, everything is provided by our team)
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Ideas for playful exercises for the time of nurturing the mushrooms and providing contact if necessary between the two workshops.
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Loads and loads of enthusiasm
Should you have any questions prior to the workshop we are happy to answer via email!
Learn with us!
If you are reading these lines, it is likely that your personally adorned mushroom garden is already standing in your classroom waiting for it to grow lots and lots of mushrooms…
However, we also have some ideas on how to make waiting exciting as well!
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First of all, it is important to know that even though we do everything in our power to assure the growth of the mushrooms, it is possible that they might not sprout. It is very important to communicate this towards the children as well, however we are not afraid, because: our aim with the project is for children to experience the wonders of nature and the importance of biodiversity. Moreover, our team is ready to provide reflective exercises in case growing the mushrooms is unsuccessful. Nature’s beauty lies in its unpredictability. Since life is a never ending attempt, research and experiment, nature teaches us in its most mysterious ways.
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The growth of fungi is a slow process, however, after the mushrooms sprout, they can grow twice their size in the course of one day! For the time they are hiding in their buckets and don’t appear on the surface, we prepared some activities for children to make even waiting exciting.
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Slow processes are not uneventful indeed. We think it is of high importance that even in our fast-paced world we teach children patience. They should see that significant events don’t only take place when they occur instantly and in a spectacular way.
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Below you will find some of our ideas for exercises that focus on the growth of mushrooms as well as they fit into the school curriculum. We made these to help pedagogues and teachers as well as to turn waiting into an experience for children.
Let’s grow mushrooms!
Ideas
Description
DJ Plant
Did you know that today we can actually listen to plants’ music? It is true indeed and in this case we don’t mean the noise leaves make when blown by the wind. A special technology is capable of convert the plants’ electric energy into soundwaves.
Spell or mushroom?
Nature on photos
Go out in the nature and take mushroom inspired pictures about the fascinating and exciting wonders of nature with your phones or cameras! This could be a tree in a park, a pigeon on a square or rooftop or even a rabbit on the fields if you have the chance to wander around woods and fields. Gather these images and show them to your classmates and friends. Whose favourite is which?
Pencils up!
If you could build your own mushroom garden what would it look like? Make a drawing of it and keep it until we come again so that you could show it to us! Let your fantasy fly free and dream your own mushroom garden or even come up with an idea in a group with your friend!
History of the mushrooms
Are you more into writing stories than drawing? Write about your story with mushrooms. What would you tell your parents, friends and relatives?
Some ideas to help you get into it:
- “A day as a mushroom” – what would it be like?
- “A story for a mushroom” – how would you describe human life to a mushroom?
- “A mushroom’s adventures” – what adventures could happen to a mushroom living in a deep-deep forest?
Nurturing the garden
It is very important to keep temperature and humidity at a given level. With the use of a thermometer measure the temperature in the classroom twice every day and watch whether it changes from the point you planted the mushrooms. Try to make that it doesn’t go up or down more than 3 degrees. For example, if at the time of planting it is 20 degrees, the temperature shouldn’t go below 17 degrees or above 23 degrees. With this you can assure that the best conditions for the mushrooms. Keep track of the temperature changes in a diary or on the notice board! You could even ask your maths teacher to give you exercises with these numbers. This way you can work with a topic that’s connected to your classroom.
Keep on researching!
We are sincerely happy that your school is participating in the mushroom garden building Kert Bent project and its workshop. Should you wish to further engage in the topic of environmental education and explore nature’s values through experiential activities we recommend you take a look at the following information:
We compiled some useful links, through which learning about these things will be quite entertaining. Should you need these for an environmental studies class or for a project, you will surely find some useful
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Did you take a liking to growing mushrooms at home?
You can do that without our help too! Through this link you can find boxes of fungi, even the exact same that we used to grow mushrooms in your class. The best part is, you can order them yourself! Let’s grow mushrooms of your own at home!
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Would you like your school to have gardens not only indoors but also outdoors?
The Iskolakertekért Alapítvány (Foundation for School Gardens) is there to help with bringing this idea of yours alive!
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Are you interested in which vegetables and fruits are seasonal in some locations?
This link will show you Europe’s countries’ seasonal vegetables’ and fruits’ and when to grow them. These seasonal foods are not only beneficial for the Earth, but also for you, because: they are super healthy and extra tasty!
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Watching a movie that’s not only relaxing but also instructive?
The “Kiss the Ground” (2020) is available on Netflix and gives us exciting and useful ideas about our natural values, especially soil’s role in the Earth’s ecosystem. On the makers’ website they provide even more curiosities. Anyway, watching the movie is a perfect evening activity after a yummy dinner made of oyster mushroom.
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Playful challenges, sustainable lifestyle, intriguing learning?
We brought you two ideas to help you accomplish these! Subscribing to WWF’s so called “Zero to Hero” challenge gives us tips throughout 5 weeks. These aim to help you focus on making your everyday life more conscious in some topics, such as water usage or eating. Another initiative, the “AWorld” is a cell phone application that was made to reach out to as many people as possible. But what is it for? The app gives similar ideas to help you with prioritising sustainability and biodiversity during our daily lives.
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Would you rather watch breath-taking videos about landscapes and animals and hear valuable information in the meantime?
We wholeheartedly recommend any of David Attenborough’s films. To highlight two of them, here are our favourites: “Breaking Boundaries” and “A Life on Our Planet”.
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Apart from the videos and movies listed above, there is one more thing worth seeing
THE OUTDOORS
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The best way to explore nature’s wonder is to experience it first-hand. Spend some time out there with your friends, family or even alone, wherever you can – should it be the woods, a field or a park. If you can take off your shoes and walk around barefoot. First off it might feel a bit odd but once you get used to it you will feel more connected to the Earth, rest assured of that. Whatever the means, barefoot or not, stepping out of the rushing world of everyday life will have uncountable positive effects on our human nature. The sound the leaves make when blown by a wind or the silent splish-splash sound of a forest stream will bring you closer to nature. Since us, humans as well are a wonder of nature it is a true treasure to feel closer to the rest of this marvellous Earth. Without further do, if you have the chance, go outside and spend time in the outdoors!
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