Sulphur knight mushroom, giant bowist, red-legged boletus, orange coral mushroom, cracked mushroom, red cup mushroom…. were some of the finds made by the Montessori class 5/6 (M56) on their mushroom excursion on the Einkorn.

On Hiking Day, the M56 met with NABU mushroom expert Karl-Heinz Johe on Hall’s local mountain to immerse themselves in the world of mushrooms.

That was the first question: Are fungi animals or plants? The answer: neither. The world of fungi, also known as Funga, is a third area of living nature alongside the flora (plant world) and the fauna (animal world). And a totally exciting and interesting one.

First, Mr. Johe explained the classification of lamellar mushrooms, tubular mushrooms, tree mushrooms and slime molds using mushrooms he had brought along, explained the difference between mycelium and fruiting body and urged caution when eating unknown mushrooms. Then it was off into the forest and the children quickly found what they were looking for. With a lot of patience and expertise, the mushroom expert used the specimens he found to show how to identify the mushrooms with the help of a mushroom identification book. He talked about the role of mushrooms in the forest, e.g. as a recycling troop for dead plants, as a source of water for trees, which in turn give nutrients to the mushrooms, as food for animals and much more.

For two hours, Mr. Johe answered all the questions about mushrooms, then the children who had seen enough were allowed to go to the playground. Some children took advantage of the mushroom expert’s presence and looked for more specimens, identified them, examined them under a magnifying glass and were fascinated by the many different colors and shapes.

The hiking day came to an end far too quickly.

The M56 would like to thank NABU and Mr. Johe for this interesting excursion.