Mrs. April Hashe, one of Central’s Environmental Science teachers, has sparked creativity and excitement through her class’s new project: a mushroom farm. The class has been working on this project since the earthworm farm experiment that took place earlier this year.

“I saw a YouTube video about some people who tried to grow their own mushrooms in their compost during the pandemic and it worked for them,” said Mrs. Hashe. “I wanted to see if I could recreate their experiment in science class. If successful, we will grow oyster mushrooms which taste great on pizza.”

According to Mrs. Hashe, mushrooms don’t need much care other than a reliable food source (coffee grounds and compost) and adequate moisture.

“The students were not impressed with the slow-going results of this experiment but it is still an exciting project to work on,” she explained.

The mushroom farm is a new experience for Mrs. Hashe’s class. It is an opportunity where the students can see how mushrooms grow, live, and the decomposition methods they use, as well. Just like the earthworms, Hashe keeps these organisms on a farm so they will decompose objects and materials into the dirt just like the mushrooms she is growing. This mushroom project is an entertaining, open, new, learning opportunity for the students and teachers. It is a great way to see how these organisms will react in their almost natural habitat and grow/spread on their new farm. In conclusion, Mrs. Hashe’s special project was a great success and we can’t wait to see what she does next.