Here, at CIEC we have decided to temporarily change
the focus of our blog, from supporting teachers to teach the primary science
curriculum, to supporting parents with some educational, and also enjoyable,
activities to do with their children. To kick
off we are celebrating a new online publication that we launched in January.
You
can also find this activity in this year’s British Science Week activity pack (Primary Activity Pack, p.23). The activity encourages
children to grow mushrooms as a sustainable source of protein. With
the correct kit, which is readily available online this is an easy activity to do at home (although, you need
to remember, when accepting a delivery, that covid-19 microbes might be present
on any outer packaging and remove this as soon as possible). The activity was taken from our online
resource Sustainable stories which is available to download from our website.
It was written
in conjunction with a British food company, Quorn, who produce a high protein meat
substitute, of the same name, from a type of fungus. The activity aims to help children to
understand that food can come from a variety of sources including animals,
plants and fungi. Also, to think about
the impact that different food sources have upon the planet in terms of the
resources (such as land and water) that they use.
Follow the instructions included in the kit. Mushrooms grow quickly,
so this makes a great project for children to practise the skill of
‘observation over time’. Talk with your
child about the changes that they notice from day to day, perhaps including
measurements as well as other aspects of the growing mushrooms’
appearance. If
children want to, this could be an opportunity to make a graph or to keep a
diary (which could include drawings).
However, if you spend time encouraging children to talk about what they
see, plenty of learning will take place even if nothing is recorded. Children might also choose other ways to
record what they see by taking photographs or by using an app such as PicCollage
or maybe by making a time lapse or other video recording.
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An adult encourages a child
to notice the changes in a growing plant
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Another learning opportunity provided by growing mushrooms
would be to think about the food that humans need to stay healthy. Mushrooms are a great source of nutrients and
can be cheaply and locally grown. As long
as you follow strict hygiene procedures these mushrooms will be suitable for
cooking and eating which would be another worthwhile activity to share with
your child. However, do make sure that
they understand that many fungi are extremely poisonous; not only would it be
dangerous to eat them it is important to wash hands after handling them
Did you know…?
Fungus is not a plant or an animal but belongs to a
completely different family of organisms. This family includes tiny fungi like
yeast (which are used to make bread and beer), poisonous fungi (such as the red
and white spotty fly agaric) and tasty treats such as oyster and chestnut
mushrooms.
Did you find this blog helpful? Please leave a comment if you have any questions or if you have any suggestions for what you would like covered in future blog posts.
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