Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

Science curriculum for K—5th grades.

90 sec
  • Hands-on — lead students in the doing of science and engineering.
  • Standards-aligned science lessons — Cover core standards in 1-2 hours of science per week.
  • Less prep, more learning — prep in minutes not hours. Captivate your students with short videos and discussion questions.

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Is this an egg cracking? Nope -- it’s a mushroom! What do you think it will look like when it “hatches”?
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Whoa, what an odd shape! Do you notice the flies? Why do you think there are so many flies around it?
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Flies like it because it smells like garbage! It’s called a Stinkhorn! It WANTS flies to visit because flies help spread its “seeds” (spores).
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This sweater has a special connection to mushrooms. What do you think it has to do with mushrooms? The next slide has a hint!
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Hint: Some mushrooms can stain people’s hands, like this blue mushroom. Does this give you any ideas about the sweater?
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Mushrooms made the colors in the sweater! Mushrooms can stain (dye) yarn and fabric almost all the colors of the rainbow!
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Do you think that these are the same kind of mushroom? Why or why not?
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They ARE the same mushroom! As mushrooms grow from a “baby” to an “adult,” they change shape!
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You can watch mushrooms grow in your own home or at school with a kit like this. They’re even a kind of mushroom you can eat!
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These lumpy mushrooms, called truffles, are delicious! Chefs love them! But they grow underground and are VERY hard to find…
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This man is trying to SMELL for truffles (they’re stinky), but people don’t have a very good sense of smell! How can people find them?
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People train pigs to sniff for truffles underground! Pigs have a GREAT sense of smell! This pig here found one. Thanks, piggy!
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Some mushrooms are SO strong that they can hold up a person! What could you do with strong mushrooms? Think like an inventor!
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One thing you can do is grow mushrooms into certain shapes, like a brick shape! Once you have mushroom bricks, you could...
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...build a giant sculpture or even a home! The artist who built this hopes that people will make buildings out of mushrooms one day.
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Voting for this episode is now closed. Would you like to vote on the most recent poll?

We pulled three questions from our jar. Which question do you want to explore?

  • How is cheese made?

    -Glenn, 2nd Grade

  • Why do animals have tails?

    -Eowyn, 4th Grade

  • How many stars are in the sky?

    -Danna, 3rd Grade

How can you tell if a mushroom is poisonous?

Watch the video to discover the answer and don't forget to vote for next week's question. There are mysteries all around us. Have fun and stay curious!