From Classroom to Plate: Growing, Cooking, and Learning with Mushrooms in Schools
June 4
1:00 – 1:30pm
Room 519B
This interactive cooking demonstration invites participants to experience a school-based mushroom growing and cooking activity designed for classrooms. Using an oyster mushroom grow kit, participants will learn how mushrooms can be grown indoors with minimal space, processed safely, and transformed into a simple, delicious dish alongside students. Grounded in a classroom pilot with elementary learners, this session highlights how hands-on food literacy builds curiosity, confidence, and connection to food systems. Participants will leave inspired by a low-cost, climate-resilient model that integrates growing, cooking, and learning in schools.
Bio:
JESSICA JONES is an education innovator and social entrepreneur specializing in school-based agriculture and food literacy. She has delivered hands-on programs with students, including classroom mushroom cultivation, school garden initiatives, and climate change resilience across multiple school districts in British Columbia and Ontario. Jessica brings experience as a founder, certified educator, farmer, and curriculum designer, with a focus on agricultural education, food literacy, culturally responsive, and land-based learning. Her work centres on creating inclusive classrooms where learners feel seen, capable, and inspired. She is currently developing resources to help educators integrate food systems learning into classrooms and also serves on the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council, advancing policy change in agriculture.