Foodshift Pathways
FOODSHIFT Pathways (English)
FOODSHIFT Pathways (English)
  • ❤️Introducction
  • 📍FoodSHIFT Pathways: Reducing Food Waste Through Circular Education
    • ✍️Foodshift Pathways Glossary
  • 🥦Understanding Food Waste
  • 📈What Impacts Does Food Waste Have on the Planet?
    • 💶Economic impact
    • 💗Social Impact
    • 🌱Environmental impact
  • ♻️The Interconnection of Life Cycles
    • 🎎Sustainability in the Classroom: Learning from the Past for a Better Future
  • 🤖Ancestral and Digital Technology
    • ⚙️Inspiring Examples in Action
  • 📖Classroom Projects and Activities Guide
    • 🍄Mushroom
      • ✨The Wonderful Kingdom of Fungi
        • 🗿Powerful Ancestral Allies
        • 🧫Guide to Growing Mushrooms
      • 💡How to Integrate This Activity into the Classroom?
      • 👍Practical Recommendations Before Starting the Workshop
      • 🧑‍🏫Scientific Workshop for Growing Mushrooms in the Classroom
      • 🔬The Mushroom Cultivation Project at Escola Joan Miró
    • 🧼Making Cleaning Products with Food Waste
      • 💡How to Integrate This Activity into the Classroom?
      • 👍Practical recommendations before starting...
      • 🧑‍🏫Eco-Creative Cleaning Workshop
      • 🎒Example from Institut Ciutat de Balaguer
    • 🎨Creation of Natural Pigments from Food Waste
      • 💡How to Integrate This Activity into the Classroom?
      • 👍Practical Recommendations Before Starting...
      • 👩‍🏫Workshop on Natural Pigment Extraction from Food Waste
      • 🎒Example from the Florida Lab Sustainable Laboratory
    • 🍃Compostaje
      • 🍂The Evolution of Composting
        • 🔬The Biology of Compost
      • 💡How to Integrate This Activity into the Classroom?
      • 👍Practical Recommendations Before Starting
      • 👩‍🏫Composting Workshop in the Classroom
      • 🌱Turning Waste into Life: Composting Adventure at the Florida Lab
    • 🥚Ceramic Making with Eggshells
      • 💡How to Integrate This Activity into the Classroom?
      • 👍Practical Recommendations Before Starting
      • 🧑‍🏫Ceramics Creation Workshop with Eggshells and Mussel Shells
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  • Introduction to the Fungi Kingdom and Substrate Preparation
  • Inoculation Phase: Beginning Mycelium Growth
  • Preparation for the Next Phase: Monitoring Variables
  • Reflections and Expectations
  1. Classroom Projects and Activities Guide
  2. Mushroom

The Mushroom Cultivation Project at Escola Joan Miró

Learning Science with Food Waste

PreviousScientific Workshop for Growing Mushrooms in the ClassroomNextMaking Cleaning Products with Food Waste

Last updated 5 months ago

As part of the Foodshift Pathways project, students and teachers from Escola Joan Miró participated in a mushroom cultivation activity. This practice included key stages such as an introduction to the Fungi Kingdom, the preparation and sterilization of substrates, inoculation, and monitoring with P-Bits to control variables like temperature and humidity.


Introduction to the Fungi Kingdom and Substrate Preparation

The project began with an introduction to the Fungi Kingdom, where students explored the characteristics and role of fungi as decomposers in ecosystems. They learned that fungi transform organic matter into nutrients, closing the natural cycle. Additionally, they studied the scientific method, as this framework guides every step of our project.

After the introduction, the students prepared various substrates – coffee grounds, straw, sawdust, and egg cartons – to provide the mushrooms with the necessary nutrients.


Inoculation Phase: Beginning Mycelium Growth

The students reached the inoculation phase, where mushroom mycelium was introduced into the prepared substrates. Each group inoculated their substrates with a small amount of mycelium, ensuring it was evenly distributed to optimize growth. Labeled polypropylene bags were used to maintain the substrates under controlled conditions, and some samples were placed in different light and humidity environments to observe the impact of these variables. Additionally, sugar was added to some samples to test the hypothesis that sugar accelerates the process.

During this phase, the students recorded their observations in scientific journals and took photographs of each step of the process. This documentation will be key to comparing growth in the coming weeks and evaluating the effect of each variable on the development of the mushrooms.


Preparation for the Next Phase: Monitoring Variables


Reflections and Expectations

During the course of the activity, an unexpected challenge arose: the appearance of mold on some substrates. Due to the practical nature of the project and classroom circumstances, the affected substrates were discarded, and no further analysis of the mold was conducted. However, this setback is an inherent part of the learning process in any scientific endeavor.

The collaboration between teachers and students to address this situation highlighted the importance of teamwork and adapting to real-world challenges. Their active participation allowed the project to move forward while reflecting on key aspects that could be improved in future experiments, such as material sterilization, environmental conditions, and substrate handling.

The experience also underscored the significance of flexibility and curiosity as pillars of the scientific method. Although the mold was not the subject of a specific study, its occurrence provided a valuable opportunity to discuss with students the nature of biological processes and the importance of maintaining a controlled environment in experiments.

In conclusion, the challenges encountered in this activity are not only part of the learning process but also pave the way for new questions and improvements in future projects. The involvement of teachers and students in this project reflects their commitment to practical and meaningful education, demonstrating that even unexpected setbacks are a powerful tool to foster critical thinking and scientific resilience. Thank you, teachers of Escola Joan Miró ❤️

The students monitored the temperature and humidity of the substrates. In this section, tools like the , which we use in this practice, or the can be used.

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P-Bit
Smart Citizen Kit
Students of Escola Joan Miró in Granollers, Catalonia
Student Data Record of Escola Joan Miró
This substrate needs more moisture!