Foraging by Henry V
Photo by Amy LV
Students - Our son Henry is interested in mycology (the study of fungi) and foraging, and this week he found a treasure trove of wine cap mushrooms. Above, you can see the spore print he took of one of them. Its purple hue helped him finalize the identification of this mushroom.
Today's poem grew from a scientific fact (mushrooms make spore prints), an object lying around our house (this print on the table and the mushrooms in the fridge), and a comment made by my husband (when Mark left this morning, he asked, "Are you going to write a blog post about this spore print?") Poems and writing ideas really are all over the place.
This poem is also a bit of a how-to poem, explaining how to make a spore print. You can best collect spore prints from mushrooms gathered in the wild. And too, you might choose to write a how-to poem about anything you wish to teach.
If you wish to learn more about mushroom hunting, you can do so at Wonderopolis, and you can learn more about spore prints and everything-mushroom from the North American Mycological Association.
Remember: do not eat mushrooms you find unless you are a mushroom expert or under the guidance of a mushroom expert. Some mushrooms are poisonous and can make you sick.
Laura is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Laura Shovan with a celebration of the third grade poets of Northfield Elementary as well as this week's poetry offerings from all around the Kidlitosphere. We gather together each Friday, and all are always welcome.
Please share a comment below if you wish.
