ACTIVITY CORNER

Melanie Plicher, quality and standards manager at the Alliance, shares ideas for learning more about fungi and lichen with children

Reminder – stay safe!
Many fungi are poisonous to eat and it is extremely hard to tell the difference between what is safe and what is not. Children will likely come across fungi when they are playing outdoors at some point so it is a valuable learning opportunity to risk assess your fungi hunt together before you begin.

Establish some ground rules:

• Explain the importance of the ‘no pick, no lick’ rule – they must not pick anything growing and should never taste, bite or lick anything. This is particularly challenging for younger children who are more likely to place fingers in their mouths.
  
  
• Make sure you have wipes and hand sanitiser in case there is not an opportunity to wash hands properly.
  
  
• Explain that while some fungi may look similar to mushrooms from a shop or supermarket, we must never take a chance.
  
  
• Record your findings with photographs and drawings instead of picking.
  
  
• When you discover some fungi, ask children to remind you of the rules. Say: “These fungi could make me really poorly, how shall I stay safe?”
  
  
• If you ever suspect that a child has eaten fungi, seek immediate medical attention and, if possible, photograph the fungi to aid identification and treatment.
  
  
• Lichen is not thought to be toxic, but because of its prevalence on walls, sticks and branches, children are more likely to touch it. Apply the same ‘no pick, no lick’ rule and wash hands as soon as possible.

Where and when to look
Autumn is one of the best times to search for fungi, although they can appear at anytime between now and spring. Many fungi favour decaying sticks and branches, leaf litter and moss. Some prefer damp places on the woodland floor while others will appear in meadows or on garden lawns.

Fairy tales
Fungi are mysterious and magical in the way they appear overnight, often growing in unearthly shapes. It is no wonder that so many fairy stories and folk legends include them. Look out for fly agaric toadstools, which are found in many woods with a bright red canopy and white spots. These will be familiar to anyone who has ever looked at an illustrated book of fairy tales, visited a garden centre or looked at ceramic garden ornaments.

Garden gnomes are often depicted sitting on mushrooms or living in mushroom houses. These could be a welcome addition to any early years garden as a prompt and can be hidden in different places each day to be rediscovered.