Funky Fungi 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More

2023 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books Hands-On Science Book winner

Fungi are everywhere!

They live in the coldest corner of Antarctica and on hot, sandy desert dunes. They’re in the air you breathe and the food you eat. But fungi are more than pizza toppings.

They form partnerships with plants and help us clean up our planet through bioremediation. Some fungi eat our crops; others protect them. Some fungi cause diseases; others cure them. Some are bigger than you; others are so tiny you need a microscope to see them.

And now, people are finding ways to use fungi to make furniture, building materials, and even sneakers.

So grab your gear and let’s go find some Funky Fungi.

Alisha Gabriel is an elementary music teacher and university professor. Her writing has been published in Highlights for Children and Pockets, and she has written five books for children. Sue Heavenrich is an independent environmental journalist with a master’s degree in biology. She written for Ranger Rick, Cobblestone, Highlights for Children, and more. She has written half a dozen books for children. A former science teacher, Sue counts pollinators as a citizen scientist and writes a bimonthly science column for a regional parenting newspaper.

Introduction
1. Is There a Fungus Among Us?
Try This! Make a FUNgus Journal
Try This! Put Together an Explorer’s Pack
Look For: Name That Fungus
Look For: Dissect a Mushroom
2. Sorting out the Fungi
Look For: Go on a Fungal Foray
Try This! Make a Spore Print
Try This! Build a Simple Microscope
Try This! Design Your Own Fungus
3. Fungi Hold the World Together
Try This! What Happens If You Don’t Rake the Grass?
Try This! Fold a Fungus Bookmark
Look For: Lichen Looking Expedition
4. Fungi as Food
Try This! What’s for Sale?
Try This! Make Your Own Yeast
Look For: Identifying Wild Mushrooms
Try This! Plan Your Own Fungi Fest
5. When Fungi Go Bad
Taste It: Cook a Smutty Taco
Try This! Make Your Own Fungus-Fighting Mix
Try This! We’re Going on a Zombie Hunt
Try This! Mushroom Stamp Art
6. The Fungal Pharmacy
Try This! Design a Postage Stamp
Try This! Do Mushrooms Soak Up Water When Washed?
Try This! Lobby for a State Fungus
Try This! Follow a Fungus Friend
7. Putting Fungi to Work
Try This! Grow a Mold Garden
Try This! Write a Haiku
Try This! Bundle Dye with Fungi
8. The Future of Fungi
Try This! Adopt an Endangered Fungus
Try This! Send a Soil Sample
Try This! Make Paper Out of Fungi
Try This! Make Compost in a Soda Bottle
Resources
Notes
Bibliography
Index