January 2024 Speaker | Melany Kahn: Engage Children with Forays in a Safe and Fun Way

It’s never too early to learn, and never too late to start a family interest in mycology. Melany will identify simple ‘beginner’ mushrooms, showing which ones to tackle and how, and discuss the many fungal treasures that are not necessarily edible but are fascinating to children. These range from the beauty of turkey tails to the magic of blue-staining boletes, to stinkhorns (eeew!), to making spore art with gilled mushrooms. The possibilities that the mushroom kingdom offer our kids are endless.

Melany Kahn, is the author of a children’s book about mushroom foraging, Mason Goes Mushrooming, with watercolor illustrations by Ellen Korbonski. Check out her TEDx talk "You're Never Too Young to Learn or Too Old to Start Foraging" to get an idea of what Melany is interested in sharing.

Melany started hunting for mushrooms in Vermont in 1968 when her family bought a farm in West Brattleboro. She attended Wesleyan University, (BA, English/Creative Writing). She holds a Masters in Social Work from Boston College and MFA in Film from The Tisch School at NYU. Melany lives in New Hampshire with her husband and children, and you can find her leading mushroom walks or foraging at every opportunity. Mason Goes Mushrooming is her first book.

Children are always welcome at FFSC events, so bring some if you know some.