Celebrating the Fungus Among Us!

Ground Education teamed up with Justin Nguyen from Long Beach Mushrooms to create a new fungi-themed lesson for 5th graders and give our partner schools an opportunity to grow mushrooms in the classroom.  Ground Ed staff toured Justin's local mushroom farm and we are inspired to highlight the Fungi Kingdom as a vital part of our food supply, healthy ecosystems and innovative solutions to environmental challenges.  

Fungi can be medicine, textiles, building materials, biofuel and water filters.  They can feed on oil, toxic chemicals and radioactive waste to help clean up environmental disasters. Fungi are found everywhere in nature - the forest floor,  the ocean floor, the desert sand and on the tops of mountains. They are the largest organisms and the smallest, the oldest and the youngest. Partnering with local farmers to bring nature concepts to life makes lessons powerful and place-based.  Thank you Justin.