Making Everyday Objects Out of Mushroom roots!

Materials science is a fascinating area of research that is often at the cutting edge of science and engineering. It involves both developing new materials and improving on existing ones, and has important applications both for improving daily life and for advancing other fields of research. You can try your hand at making and testing all kinds of substances from plastic to slime. Read more

Maybe you have grown vegetables or flowers, but have you ever grown the flowerpot? Yes, you read that right! In this activity, you will use mushroom roots to grow a biodegradable material that can be molded into a product of your liking, like a flowerpot! Growing a set of bowls, a lampshade, or a pot is easier than you might think. Once you try it out, you just might feel inspired to replace some of your plastic objects with ecological counterparts that you created from mushroom roots! Read more

Are your students passionate about the environment? Do they like to explore new ideas for more eco-friendly products? This lesson will give your students a chance to grow a product out of mycelium composite, a material that recently gained traction as an eco-friendly alternative for many plastics and foams. Students will analyze the impact of this product on the environment at every step of its life cycle, from raw material to the end of its life, and compare it to a plastic or cardboard… Read more

Have you ever questioned the packaging of an item in a plastic container, secured in a plastic mold, that also slides into a plastic box, or a small item packed in twenty times its volume of polystyrene noodles to keep it from breaking? In this project, you will explore if mycelium composite material, an eco-friendly material obtained from organic waste and mushroom roots, can serve as a viable eco-friendly packaging alternative. Packaging material made of foams and plastics (Figures 1 and… Read more

Use these free science projects and STEM lessons and activities to celebrate Earth Day and explore related environmental science aimed at using STEM to increase sustainability, protect the Earth, and solve challenges we face for the future. Since its start in 1970, Earth Day has become a global day of activism and learning about environmental topics related to protection of the Earth, its natural resources, and species. Climate change, global warming,… Read more

Level up your makerspace with these activities and STEM explorations for students ready to take next steps in robotics, circuit building, programming, electronics, and more! Take Your Makerspace to the Next Level! Our original jump-start your makerspace collection highlights 26 maker-inspired STEM activities to encourage and support hands-on creativity, engineering, and innovation. This new collection builds upon the original to feature 16 STEM activities to take your makerspace to the… Read more