Beyond plastics: teaching Mycomaterials and Biocomposites

[David St. Martin]

I'm interested in getting a conversation started about what folks are doing to move beyond plastic and classic upcycling projects so ubiquitous in art and tinkering programs. I've personally been teaching an 8th grade biocomposite invention class for the past six years. My 7th grade curriculum was a more classic upcycling class where we tinkered with salvaged plastics, designing higher and better uses and building prototypes. That's been ringing hollow for me the last few rounds as I piled our prototypes into the trash can at the end of the semester, so this year I pivoted to Mycelium-based design. I've been failing forward with it each time, and discovering a world that it both very intriguing to kids, highly promising and very authentic. the support network around this field is shallow though. I'd love to hear from anyone doing this, or looking for an authentic way to move toward introducing students to truly sustainable invention, design and making! 

[Katie Topper]

following…especially regarding this possibility with 3D printing. 

Sent with Chuck for iOS

On April 12, 2026 at 8:41:37 PM GMT+2, David St. Martin <dstm...@markdayschool.org> wrote:

I'm interested in getting a conversation started about what folks are doing to move beyond plastic and classic upcycling projects so ubiquitous in art and tinkering programs. I've personally been teaching an 8th grade biocomposite invention class for the past six years. My 7th grade curriculum was a more classic upcycling class where we tinkered with salvaged plastics, designing higher and better uses and building prototypes. That's been ringing hollow for me the last few rounds as I piled our prototypes into the trash can at the end of the semester, so this year I pivoted to Mycelium-based design. I've been failing forward with it each time, and discovering a world that it both very intriguing to kids, highly promising and very authentic. the support network around this field is shallow though. I'd love to hear from anyone doing this, or looking for an authentic way to move toward introducing students to truly sustainable invention, design and making! 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to k-12-fablabs...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/b0078261-4e40-4d33-8c42-2ca723c70997n%40googlegroups.com.

[Paul Meinersmann]

I'm in coastal Maine where lobstering is a huge industry, with a lot of non-biodegradable waste associated with it.  One area of particular focus has been lobster buoys, which are commonly made from Styrofoam.  Some folks are exploring the use of mycelium to make them instead, though I think development is still needed to create a bioplastic covering that prevents the mycelium buoys from breaking down in the ocean environment.

I've also seen mycelium-based insulation in a project highlighted at an Autodesk conference a few years ago.

Thank you,

Paul

Paul Meinersmann Technology & Makerspace Director St. George Municipal School Unit 65 Main St, PO BOX 153 Tenants Harbor, ME 04860 mobile: 207-975-3043 school: 207-372-6312 Pronouns: he/him/his

On Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 2:41 PM David St. Martin <dstm...@markdayschool.org> wrote:

I'm interested in getting a conversation started about what folks are doing to move beyond plastic and classic upcycling projects so ubiquitous in art and tinkering programs. I've personally been teaching an 8th grade biocomposite invention class for the past six years. My 7th grade curriculum was a more classic upcycling class where we tinkered with salvaged plastics, designing higher and better uses and building prototypes. That's been ringing hollow for me the last few rounds as I piled our prototypes into the trash can at the end of the semester, so this year I pivoted to Mycelium-based design. I've been failing forward with it each time, and discovering a world that it both very intriguing to kids, highly promising and very authentic. the support network around this field is shallow though. I'd love to hear from anyone doing this, or looking for an authentic way to move toward introducing students to truly sustainable invention, design and making! 

--

[David St. Martin]

I had a great mentoring session with Sam Shoemaker. He made a kayak and open water paddled it between Los Angeles and Catalina Island. The Buoys are a cool example of a commercial use, thought I know they have struggled to figure out coatings.  There is some great work being done out there, even some in classrooms. There are some active groups connecting industry members and telling inspiring stories, but little for education! Mycostories.com, https://digital.themushroom.pub/jan-2021/from-waste-to-hope/, https://openfung.org/, here is one that shows some student work. Most use GIY material from Ecovative, which is an interesting company, but also often unavailable and tightly controlled: https://weareprintlab.com/blog/embracing-sustainable-design-with-mycelium-and-printlab/.  I could share a lot more inspiration and research if anyone is interested. The further I get into this, the more fascinating. 

--

David St. Martin

Mark Day School

Tinkerer In Residence & Garden Teacher

He/Him

[Rob van Nood]

HI David,

Thanks for sharing your questions.  I don’t personally have a lot to add other than I am always thinking about ways to reconsider plastic use. I do a lot of up cycling with students in my tinkering studio (1st-5th graders) but don’t currently have a lot to add. BUT I would love to hear about your work with the 8^th graders on Biocomposite invention.  I run a tinkering studio for 8^th graders and looking for new compelling ideas.

Rob van Nood

Book time to meet with me

 

Rob van Nood

Educational Technologist

Catlin Gabel School

 

Office: 503-297-1894

catlin.edu

Follow: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn

 

[Paul Meinersmann]

Another option to consider is https://www.preciousplastic.com/.  They have plans for building machines to turn that plastic into something new.

Thank you,

Paul

Paul Meinersmann Technology & Makerspace Director St. George Municipal School Unit 65 Main St, PO BOX 153 Tenants Harbor, ME 04860 mobile: 207-975-3043 school: 207-372-6312 Pronouns: he/him/his

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/MW4PR06MB8449D4EBFF8494613D24EB9BBC242%40MW4PR06MB8449.namprd06.prod.outlook.com.

[David St. Martin]

I love the precious plastics idea, but am really moving away from synthetic plastics in general. Precious Plastics did do a biomaterial forming machine and demonstrate making bowls from things like orange peels. that is compelling. I wish there was an easy way to get heated bowl molds, but this is a path I am pursuing. 

On Mon, Apr 13, 2026 at 10:34 AM Chris Huebner <chue...@spa.edu> wrote:

A caution on the precious plastics path: We built one of the precious plastic grinders and quickly discovered that grinding up plastic generates clouds of microplastics that seemed to get everywhere. I would not do this in a school environment given the emerging research on the effects of microplastics on humans and human development. Additionally, the heating of many plastics releases harmful VOCs, though this may be mitigated with a fume hood.

Chris Huebner  He/They Design and Innovation Lab St. Paul Academy and Summit School

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAH%3DiDiOoxyR%2BNNGC3DNpbdFZ5_hV%2BvdVH1gu6zOJD7uD115mXA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Chris Huebner]

A caution on the precious plastics path: We built one of the precious plastic grinders and quickly discovered that grinding up plastic generates clouds of microplastics that seemed to get everywhere. I would not do this in a school environment given the emerging research on the effects of microplastics on humans and human development. Additionally, the heating of many plastics releases harmful VOCs, though this may be mitigated with a fume hood.

Chris Huebner  He/They Design and Innovation Lab St. Paul Academy and Summit School

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAH%3DiDiOoxyR%2BNNGC3DNpbdFZ5_hV%2BvdVH1gu6zOJD7uD115mXA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Rob van Nood]

Has anyone worked with materials from https://www.timeplast.com/?  I have considered ordering their materials that allows you to print soap through the 3D printer.  They have a lot of water soluble materials. 

Rob

Book time to meet with me

 

Rob van Nood

Educational Technologist

Catlin Gabel School

 

Office: 503-297-1894

catlin.edu

Follow: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn

 

[David St. Martin]

It looks fascinating. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried it. 

[David St. Martin]

def. love to share what I do with the biocomposite invention. the Mycocomposite tinkering unit I'm working on for 7th grade seems even more compelling to me. Here are some of the resources I've found: https://openfung.org/fungalresources