SECOND+PART+OF+MOULD

We’ve probably all experienced a situation where some of our food has gone bad. Maybe we left it in our school bag or forgot to put in back in the fridge and now it doesn’t look so safe to eat. Use this rotting food lesson plan and mold activity to learn about fungi, bacteria and more. ||  ||   ||
 * **Rotting Food Lesson Plan**

[|Grow something disgusting] || **When good food goes bad:** What makes your sandwiches go bad when you leave them in your school bag for a long time? Moldy Bread Activity: || Fungi absorb nutrients from plant or animal matter around them, which may be living or dead. They produce long, slender threads called hyphae that spread through their food. The hyphae release enzymes that break down the food into substances that the fungi can easily absorb. Most fungi reproduce by releasing tiny spores that then germinate (sprout) and grow into a new fungus. The spores are produced by, and released from, a fruiting body that is visible above the ground. Some fungi drop spores, which are blown away by the wind. Others shoot them out in an explosive burst.
 * It's because of things called bacteria and fungi. Although it may surprise you, a mushroom is a type of fungi, a type that's actually good to eat. Other types of fungi can be poisonous and very bad for your health. They can be large or so small that you don’t even notice it.
 * Bacteria are very tiny and you need powerful microscope just to see them. Some bacteria can make you sick so it’s often a good idea to avoid dangerous bacteria when you can. Although a lot of bacteria can be harmful, other types are used to help us make foods like cheese and yoghurt.
 * Perhaps the most important thing fungi and bacteria do are to make things rot, returning all the nutrients back to the earth. Without the help of bacteria and fungi, most of our rubbish would be extremely difficult to get rid of, piling up constantly and leaving a bad smell too.
 * Find a clear plastic dish and put a piece of bread in it, leaving the bread for a few days until it starts going moldy.
 * Take the moldy bread and investigate what it looks like under a microscope. Experiment with different lenses and focuses to get different a view of what the mold looks like. After a closer inspection of mold will you be less likely to eat those old sandwiches you find in your schoolbag?
 * HOW DO FUNGI FEED?**
 * HOW DO FUNGI REPRODUCE?**

ARE MUSHROOMS AND TOADSTOOLS THE SAME?
Toadstools are brightly colored and poisonous to eat, but mushrooms are usually edible and dull in color. Both toadstools and mushrooms are fruiting bodies (spore-bearing structures) produced by fungi. They belong to the same group, the Basidiomycetes, so scientists make no distinction between the two.