Manual for Teachers and Naturalists
Teaching About Fungi: Grades K-12

Collected by NAMA Education Committe chairperson:

Please send Sondra Sheine any teaching materials that you have used with children to add to this material.

Credit for some of the handouts to Caryl Widderson, (Maine Mycological Association), and the Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Maine. Also credit to Jean-Paul Latil, (Long Island Mycological Club), for his handout, to Louise Freedman for Making Yeast Bread and the drawings for the Life Cycles of Fungi, and to Bill Freedman for co-authoring The Fungal Kingdom.

Table of Contents

• How Mushrooms Grow; Louise Freedman, Grades 4-12
• Basic 45-Minute Lesson on Fungi; Sandy Sheine
• Mushrooms; Sandy Sheine, Grades K-3
  • Answers to above (PDF)
• Charting Mold Growth; Melodie Hill, Grades 2-6
• Fun With Fungi- Field Trip Activities; Caryl Widderson, Grades 4-8
• Fun With Fungi- Post-trip Activities; Caryl Widderson, Grades 3-12
• Fun With Fungi- Instructor Resource Material; Caryl Widderson
• Making Yeast Bread; Louise Freedman, Grades 3-6
• There's Fun in Fungi; Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-8
  • Answers to above (PDF)
• Further Fungi Activities; Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-8
• More Questions About Fungi; Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-8
  • Answers to above (PDF)
• A Few Comparisons; Jean-Paul Latil, Grades 4-8
• Mushroom Workshop; Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-8
• The Fungal Kingdom; Sandy Sheine & Bill Freedman, Grades 4-12
• Spring Mushrooms; Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-12
• Mushroom Common Names; Allein Stanley & Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-12
• Art Papers from Fungi: Allein Stanley, Grades 4-12
• Math-Science Unit I; Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-12
• Math-Science Unit II; Sandy Sheine, Grade 9-12
• Additional Class Projects; Allein Stanley & Sandy Sheine, Grades 4-12
• Mold Control Activity created by the Hydroville Curriculum Project at the Environmental Health Sciences Center of Oregon State University (The original activity utilizes 3M Petrifilms and the alternative version utilizes potato dextrose agar plates. The activities are identical, however the lab protocol differs depending on the plating method used. The activity uses yeast instead of mold since yeast is easier to work with.)
  • Mold Control - Student Section (PDF)
  • Mold Control - Teacher Section (PDF)
  • Alternative Mold Control - Student Section (PDF)
  • Alternative Mold Control - Teacher Section (PDF)
• Mushroom Dissection Lab; David Campbell, High School Biology or Ecology Class Level
• Careers in Mycology: Mycological Society of America poster
• I Grow Mushrooms; Lawrence Weingarten
• References for Teaching About Fungi; Sandy Sheine