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Activities and Experiments

Lesson 2: Protists & Fungi

Fungi and protists, including mold, moss, yeast, and mushrooms, are found

all around us. In this set of experiments, you will have a chance to observe
many of these organisms either by growing them yourself or by examining
organisms you find in other locations under a microscope. You will also
observe where mold grows best, and model the movement of an amoeba.
The get ready, you may want to review the readings about where moss is
found, as well as how protists move.

Microbes in the Bread

One common group of fungi is mold. Mold, like all fungi, are heterotrophs,
which means they rely on other living things for their energy. This is
different than an autotroph like a plant, which gets its energy from the sun.
Mold commonly grows on bread, getting food from this source. Let’s see

what that looks like in action.

1. Place a wet paper towel on the bottom of a pie tin

2. Add a slice of bread

3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a dark place for three days

4. Take the pie tin out and make observations

5. What organisms do you think you see?

What’s happening: In the dark environment, mold grows on the bread. The
exact type of mold will be different depending on the type of bread.

More Microbes in the Grass

Protists can be classified as animal-like, plant-like, and fungus-like. Animal-
like protists are able to move and are heterotrophic, relying on other
organisms for food. Many protozoa live in grasses, especially those found in

lakes, rivers, and streams, where they are able to get the nutrients they

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