💡How to Integrate This Activity into the Classroom?
Classroom experiments not only allow students to learn science in a hands-on way but also encourage reflection on urgent issues like food waste and sustainability. In this guide, we provide a step-by-step process to develop an experimental project using the scientific method, with the aim of engaging the community and fostering sustainable habits in students.
Research and Awareness
Before conducting any experiment, it’s essential for students to understand the issue they’ll be addressing. This step aims to introduce them to the topic and spark genuine interest. You might start with initial questions such as:
What is food waste?
How does it impact the environment?
What solutions exist to reduce food waste?
How can fungi help us combat food waste?
Students can collaboratively research using online resources, scientific articles, and documentaries to build a broader environmental awareness. This phase also involves identifying how fungi and other natural elements can be allies in the circular economy.
2. Analysis of Ingredients or Materials
Once students understand the importance of fungi in the circular economy of ecosystems, it’s time to analyze the materials they will work with. For mushroom cultivation experiments, students should explore different types of organic waste they could use as substrates (e.g., coffee grounds, straw, cardboard).
It’s important for teachers to guide students in selecting materials, considering factors such as:
Availability: Are these materials easy to find locally?
Environmental Impact: How does using these materials contribute to waste reduction?
Properties: What properties do these materials have that could influence mushroom growth?
At this stage, using technologies like the P-Bit or smart citizen kit is key to monitoring variables such as temperature, humidity, and light, allowing students to analyze how different substrates affect mushroom growth.
3. Collecting Materials with the Community or Social Stakeholders
Community involvement is a powerful tool to engage students in collective action. Organizing activities to gather the waste materials that will be used in the experiments is an excellent opportunity to collaborate with local stakeholders, such as:
Local businesses (cafés, markets, supermarkets)
Parents and family members
Other educational institutions
In addition to gathering materials, this phase also promotes community awareness on food waste and sustainability. Educators can organize collection campaigns, where students explain the purpose of the project to the community and how these materials will be transformed into something useful through science.
4. Conducting Experiments with the P-Bit and the Scientific Method
With materials ready, it’s time to guide students in planning and executing their experiments using the scientific method. In this phase, students should:
Formulate Hypotheses: Which materials or conditions will best promote mushroom growth?
Design the Experiment: Plan how they will use the substrates, mushroom mycelium, and the P-Bit to measure conditions like temperature, humidity, and growth time.
Collect Data: This is where the P-Bit plays an essential role. Students can use it to measure growth variables and make daily observations on the mushrooms' development.
This approach not only teaches students to follow the scientific method but also introduces them to technology applied in sustainability projects.
5. Testing and Evaluation
Once the experiments are underway, it’s essential for students to evaluate the results. Which substrate worked best? How did variables (humidity, temperature) affect mushroom growth? Here, students analyze their data and compare the results with their initial hypotheses.
As educators, we should guide reflection and data interpretation, helping students understand that the failure of a hypothesis is not a mistake but a learning opportunity.
Additionally, it’s important for students to test different variables (e.g., adjusting moisture levels or changing the type of substrate) to see how these impact the results, encouraging ongoing experimentation.
6. Outreach and Awareness
Learning shouldn’t stay in the classroom. It’s essential for students to share what they’ve learned with the community to inspire others. This can be achieved through:
School Presentations: Students can prepare exhibits where they explain the results of their experiments and how fungi can help combat food waste.
Awareness Campaigns: Create posters, flyers, or videos to distribute in the school and community, showing how waste can be sustainably repurposed.
Webinars or Social Media: Teachers can support students in sharing the project results on digital platforms to reach a broader audience.
This phase helps solidify students' knowledge and transforms them into active agents of change within their community.
Developing Sustainable Habits
Finally, teachers should guide students in internalizing long-term sustainable habits. Mushroom cultivation projects and the repurposing of organic waste are not just isolated experiments but models of sustainable behavior that students can apply in their daily lives.
Some examples of habits students can adopt include:
Composting: Create small composting systems at home or at school.
Waste Reduction: Become more aware of the amount of food waste they produce and how to reduce it.
Responsible Consumption: Reflect on the environmental impact of the food they consume and look for ways to reduce their ecological footprint.
The ultimate goal is for students to see fungi not just as a classroom experiment, but as allies in the fight against food waste and in building a more sustainable lifestyle.
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