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Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More
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.
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.
128 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2022
3 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 31, 2022
If I were a scout leader, a science teacher, a camp counselor, or a parent cultivating principles of scientific study and an understanding of the work of naturalists, this would be a fantastic book!
This book comes with some warnings, so handle with care! The first warning is about interacting with any fungus you might find. "It could be poisonous." So do not touch fungi with your bare hands, don't eat them, and don't even smell them.
The other danger is implied. This book is amazing, so be prepared to adopt an obsession for fungi for the next few weeks. This book takes a holistic approach, so not only did I learn about an array of mushrooms, I learned things about nature, geography, science, cooking, and even the language arts (not just vocabulary and etymology of words related to fungi; "Write a haiku about fungi" is one of the prompts.)
This is a book designed to have adults supporting young naturalists to learn about fungi through a hands-on approach: "Make a Spore Print," "Design Your Own Fungus," "Lichen-Looking Expedition," "Make Your Own Fungus-Fighting Mix," "Design a Postage Stamp," "Bundle Die with Fungi," "Send a Soil Sample," etc. Because of the dangers of interacting with fungi in the wild without supervision, I would not give this to children for independent reading unless they are 12 and older.
The book contains a lot of photographs, some drawings and other illustrations, and several text boxes about specific species of fungi.
The chapters of the book are as follows:
1. Is there a Fungus Among Us?
2. Sorting Out the Fungi
3. Fungi Hold the World Together
4. Fungi as Food
5. When Fungi Go Bad
6. The Fungal Pharmacy
7. Putting Fungi to Work
8. The Future of Fungi
Back matter includes: Glossary, Online Resources, Teacher's Guide, Notes, Bibliography and Index.
This book comes with some warnings, so handle with care! The first warning is about interacting with any fungus you might find. "It could be poisonous." So do not touch fungi with your bare hands, don't eat them, and don't even smell them.
The other danger is implied. This book is amazing, so be prepared to adopt an obsession for fungi for the next few weeks. This book takes a holistic approach, so not only did I learn about an array of mushrooms, I learned things about nature, geography, science, cooking, and even the language arts (not just vocabulary and etymology of words related to fungi; "Write a haiku about fungi" is one of the prompts.)
This is a book designed to have adults supporting young naturalists to learn about fungi through a hands-on approach: "Make a Spore Print," "Design Your Own Fungus," "Lichen-Looking Expedition," "Make Your Own Fungus-Fighting Mix," "Design a Postage Stamp," "Bundle Die with Fungi," "Send a Soil Sample," etc. Because of the dangers of interacting with fungi in the wild without supervision, I would not give this to children for independent reading unless they are 12 and older.
The book contains a lot of photographs, some drawings and other illustrations, and several text boxes about specific species of fungi.
The chapters of the book are as follows:
1. Is there a Fungus Among Us?
2. Sorting Out the Fungi
3. Fungi Hold the World Together
4. Fungi as Food
5. When Fungi Go Bad
6. The Fungal Pharmacy
7. Putting Fungi to Work
8. The Future of Fungi
Back matter includes: Glossary, Online Resources, Teacher's Guide, Notes, Bibliography and Index.
November 8, 2022
Funky Fungi is an exploration of mycology for a young reader. It features a good deal of photos of unique or unusual fungi and offers some ideas of participating in the study and observation of fungi in our communities. There is a lot of information about the types of mushrooms, their uses (mycoremidiation? Awesome!), and their importance.
Despite the young audience of the book, the text is not particularly accessible. The formatting is dense and a little less interesting and the layout is less-than-engaging. I was discouraged that some of the links to websites for additional exploration are already outdated/non-functional and some of the concepts, which could have benefited from graphical illustrations, remained a little unclear.
Read as a nomination in the non-fiction book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
I'd recommend this book be moved to the middle-grade category, as opposed to the Elementary Nonfiction category it was nominated in. I'd also say, while the purpose of the two books is different, I'd expect almost any child would learn more about mushrooms from the book Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmeran.
Despite the young audience of the book, the text is not particularly accessible. The formatting is dense and a little less interesting and the layout is less-than-engaging. I was discouraged that some of the links to websites for additional exploration are already outdated/non-functional and some of the concepts, which could have benefited from graphical illustrations, remained a little unclear.
Read as a nomination in the non-fiction book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
I'd recommend this book be moved to the middle-grade category, as opposed to the Elementary Nonfiction category it was nominated in. I'd also say, while the purpose of the two books is different, I'd expect almost any child would learn more about mushrooms from the book Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmeran.
June 22, 2022
A book sure to inspire future mycologists, naturalists, medical researchers, and ecologists.
Funky Fungi has, as its title promises, thirty hands-on activities related to observing, growing, analyzing, and crafting with all kinds of fungi. It’s also filled with facts and stories about individual fungi and about mycology and scientific research that turned fungi into important medicines as well as forensic and conservation tools. Aimed at kids aged 7-9, the book’s language is lively and engaging and will pique the reader’s curiosity at every page turn. Even the taxonomy explanation has kid appeal, like how a recently discovered orange fungus earned its scientific name: Spongiforma squarepantsii. Can a book about fungi be loaded with kid appeal? A resounding yes!
Funky Fungi has, as its title promises, thirty hands-on activities related to observing, growing, analyzing, and crafting with all kinds of fungi. It’s also filled with facts and stories about individual fungi and about mycology and scientific research that turned fungi into important medicines as well as forensic and conservation tools. Aimed at kids aged 7-9, the book’s language is lively and engaging and will pique the reader’s curiosity at every page turn. Even the taxonomy explanation has kid appeal, like how a recently discovered orange fungus earned its scientific name: Spongiforma squarepantsii. Can a book about fungi be loaded with kid appeal? A resounding yes!
August 2, 2022
FUNKY FUNGI by Alisha Gabriel and Sue Heavenrich is for older children, so there are a lot of details on various species kids can investigate as well as a ton of great information and fun facts about fungi. It also has activities young mycologists can engage with at home and out in the field. Late summer/fall is a great time to explore the world of fungi outdoors, in books, and with fun activities. “Funky Fungi” is a great place to start.
September 16, 2022
A terrific book for budding young mycologists! Clear explanations of all things fungi and engaging activities make this book a winner for children (and adults!) The book and its hands-on activities could also enhance upper elementary school science classes. Through making a fungus journal, dissecting fungi, making spore prints, building a microscope, growing a mold garden, making compost, and more young people will become fungi experts and great observers of the natural world.
October 17, 2022
Amazing and informative! I loved learning so much about fungi and have now seen so many examples that I would've never noticed before. The science is interesting and presented in a great way for middle grade readers.
November 23, 2022
Maybe there were 30 activities? But mostly this is a book about what fungi are, what the diversity is, where to find them, what to use them for, and all sorts of facts. Lots of pictures and call outs make it interesting.
December 2, 2022
3.5,stars. This is a great resource for middle schoolers, but the activities are more elementary level. Feels like 2 books, for 2 audiences. I did love the gorgeous photos and all of the information.
July 17, 2022
So many amazing activities and interesting facts.
August 22, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book. I also thought the activities to be very well thought out and I certainly would like to try some of them out.
December 3, 2023
A fascinating book with so many appealing and accessible activities to do with kids. I requested that my library purchase this book, and I'm so glad I did, so many kids can enjoy it!
June 19, 2024
"Why was the mushroom invited to the party? Because he's a fun guy!"
June 19, 2024
"Why was the mushroom invited to the party? Because he's a fun guy!"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2022
I can't wait to try making a spore print and I had no idea I could grow my own yeast!!!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews