Five Amazing Mushroom Facts for Kids and Educators

Bringing mushrooms to the classroom is a great way to teach students about nutrition and sustainability. Two topics, when paired together, help students understand the connection between the food that we eat to nourish our bodies and the health and well-being of our planet.  These mushroom facts are a quick and easy way to introduce your students to these topics, but our resources don’t stop there. We have classroom lessons designed for preschool through grade 12. These turn-key resources make teaching students about nutrition and sustainability easy!

1. The lifecycle of a mushroom is very unique.

Mushrooms are fungi and grow differently from fruits and vegetables. Mushrooms begin life as fungal spores. When spores germinate, they grow into a lacy, filament-like root network called mycelium. Have you ever seen a mushroom grow in the wild? What you cannot see is the underground network of mycelium that scavenges the soil for food. Mushrooms are decomposers and break down dead plants to recycle their nutrients. When mycelium is mature, it produces a mushroom, which will spread its spores in the forest to continue the lifecycle of the mushroom. Mushroom farmers start from fungal spores to grow and harvest delicious mushrooms.

Schools across the country have been using these facts and more in their Mushroom Monday Celebrations! 

2. It takes science to grow mushrooms.

Mushrooms flourish under precise conditions. Mushroom farms are typically indoors so farmers can replicate nature’s perfect conditions. Each variety of mushrooms prefers a certain amount of heat, humidity, and air flow. Mushrooms grown for human consumption are grown in a very sterile environment to prevent any contamination. Pro-tip: mushrooms need good air flow, so never store them in a plastic bag (instead, store them in their original packaging or a clean brown paper bag).

3. Mushrooms produce Vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light, but they don’t need light to grow.

Mushrooms can thrive without any light. Unlike green plants that convert sunlight to food through photosynthesis, the mushrooms gather nourishment from their growing medium, called compost. Mushroom farmers use a variety of growing mediums such as straw, corn cobs, cocoa hulls, or oats. [1]

When some mushrooms are exposed to ultraviolet light, such as from sunlight or an ultraviolet lamp, they produce a nutritionally significant amount of Vitamin D2. [2] White mushrooms, crimini or brown mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, and maitake mushrooms are excellent producers of Vitamin D2 when exposed to ultraviolet light. [3] Mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light are the only source of Vitamin D on the produce aisle! Ask your produce buyer if they source mushrooms enriched with Vitamin D.

Wondering why we love Vitamin D so much? Learn more about the benefits of Vitamin D by downloading our fact sheet.

4. Mushrooms are grown in nearly every state!

Mushrooms grow on a year-round cycle indoors, and edible mushrooms are grown everywhere! There may be a local producer near you – ask your fresh produce provider about sourcing local mushrooms for your district. Check out your local farmers’ market or local produce market to find a local grower. The majority of commercial mushroom growers are located in the state of Pennsylvania. In fact, 63% of all white mushrooms are grown in Pennsylvania. [4]

If you’re ready to add mushrooms to your school meals, check out our tips for sourcing and procuring mushrooms for your school.

5. Mushrooms are gentle on the planet.

Mushrooms are one of the most sustainably produced food sources in the United States.

• Mushrooms use limited growing space. Indoor growing is a very efficient use of space. In fact, 1 acre can produce up to 1 million pounds of mushrooms annually!
• The growing medium can be composted. Mushrooms are grown in various growing mediums such as straw, corn cobs, cocoa hulls, or oats. Once used up, these materials can be composted and repurposed for other uses.
• They require little energy to grow. Mushrooms often grow in the dark and a small amount of electricity is used to harvest or monitor the mushrooms. This makes them very energy efficient!
• They require less water than other crops. It takes about 1.8 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of mushrooms. Compared to fruits and vegetables, this is a huge water savings!

Showing this mushroom time-lapse video to your students is a simple way to incorporate nutrition education into your classrooms or as part of your Mushroom Monday Celebration!

Head on over here for more fun mushroom educational resources. We have lessons designed to engage your students from preschool all the way up to 12th grade!

We hope you have enjoyed learning more about how mushrooms nourish our bodies and support the health of the planet, too! Share your new knowledge with your students and consider introducing mushrooms to them through a taste test or school meals. We have a variety of resources – from classroom lessons, recipes, and culinary training for your staff. – to make serving mushrooms easy and fun.

[1]https://www.mushroomcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Mushroom-Growing-Handout-1.pdf

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213178/

[3]https://www.mushroomcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Vitamin-D-Fact-Sheet.pdf

[4] https://www.paeats.com/feature/pa-mushrooms/