Project Ideas

Garden Toolkit and curriculum provided by Back to the Roots® . Visit backtotheroots.com/curriculum to download all unit materials and view source listings.
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BASIDIUM (ba·sid·i·um) Spore Cannons! Microscopic structures on the gills of the mushroom
which form spores and shoot them out like cannons!
DECOMPOSE (de·com·pose) To break down or decay over time.
EUKARYOTA (eu·kary·ot·a) Domain of living things with multiple cells and a nucleus. Includes
Kingdom Plantae, Animalia, and Fungi.
ECOSYSTEM (eco·sys·tem) An ecological system of all living things interacting with one
another and the resources in a given area.
ENZYMES (en·zyme) Compounds that help break down potential food sources in the
environment.
FUNGI (fun·gi) The Kingdom where we find mushrooms, mycorrhizae, molds, and lichen.
GILLS The part of the mushroom under the cap where we find the basidium, from here the
spores form and release.
HYPHAE (hy·phae) The single celled unit that grows and extends to make up the mycelium.
MUSHROOM (mush·room) The reproducing body of the fungus, it’s purpose is to release the
spores (it just happens to be delicious and nutritious!)
MYCELIUM (my·ce·li·um) The web-like network made up of many combined hyphae. The
mycelium lives under the soil until it rains then it forms the mushroom fruiting body.
MYCOLOGIST (my·col·o·gist) A person who studies the Kingdom Fungi.
NUCLEUS (nu·cle·us) The cell brain that holds the DNA.
Vocabulary