Today, we’re going to learn to appreciate a pair of organisms that we often just step right over… or immediately pitch into the garbage.  One is green, understated, wise: the Yoda of plants. The other is fuzzy and a little funny-smelling. The fungi that make the world go round. Meet our friends, mold, and moss. Listen to this podcast from Outside/In.  You can listen on this website or search for “Outside In : Mold and Moss” on any podcast platform. You can also listen to the audio file here.

Outside/In is a podcast about the natural world.  You don’t have to be a scientist to listen to them tell wonderful stories about the great outdoors.

Want to find out if all this hand washing is doing the trick? Try recreating the bread mold experiment that was done in the podcast.  You can also find instructions for the experiment here.  

• Rub a piece of bread on dirty hands that haven’t been washed and compare the results with bread that was rubbed on hands that were washed with soap and water. 
• You could also compare that to bread that was rubbed on hands cleaned with hand sanitizer. 

Based on the experiment, which worked better? Handwashing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer?

Fromage, French for cheese!  

Pick a region in France and research its history.  Are they known for a particular type of cheese?  Visit Fromages de France to find out.

Or if you would rather explore outside you can get to know your mosses with this free booklet, A Visit to a Miniature Forest.  

You will be able to add just the right moss to your garden after you take a look at these slides from the Mountain Moss website.