Exciting news is sprouting in our school garden—our Garden Club has been accepted into the national Mushrooms in Schools program, proudly developed and funded by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association (AMGA)!

This program is not only a fantastic opportunity for our budding gardeners but also a fun and fascinating way to learn more about the mighty mushroom. Did you know mushrooms aren’t a fruit or a vegetable? That’s right—they’re fungi! These unique organisms belong to an entirely different food kingdom and grow in ways that are very different from the plants we’re used to seeing in our veggie patch.

Thanks to the AMGA, we’ll be receiving a FREE mushroom-growing kit this year, which will allow our students to experience the magic of mushroom cultivation firsthand. From watching how fungi grow in dark, damp conditions to learning about their special nutritional benefits, this hands-on experience will complement our science curriculum in the most delicious way.

The Mushrooms in Schools program also comes with engaging classroom resources and lesson plans to help students explore the lifecycle, biology, and food value of mushrooms in a way that’s both fun and educational.

So keep an eye on our school newsletter and notice boards. Garden Club members will soon become our resident fungi experts, and we can’t wait to share the harvest with our school community!

Stay tuned for more mushroom adventures!

Rebecca Ferguson | Year 3 Teacher and Garden Club Coordinator