Research Paper Assignment

While to most of us, well - me anyway, the thought of writing a research paper sounds like a daunting task.  When this assignment came up for the Jedi all I could think was, "I just spent the last 2 years writing research papers!"  Fortunately for me, this was his assignment, not mine. 

Out of all of his writing assignments this year, this is the first time I took a hands-off approach to see what the Jedi came up with.  Well, as hands-off as I could be anyway seeing as our family visited Mesa Verde the week before he wrote this paper and we checked books out at the library together.  Anyhow, he wrote this paper by himself and handled most of the revisions. 

We're almost at the 1/2 year mark for homeschooling and I'm already noticing a drastic improvement in his writing and his desire to produce quality work.  It's not easy, but we're getting the hang of this.  I hope you enjoy his writing sample and please feel free to ask the Jedi questions about Mesa Verde. 

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde and the Anasazi People

In southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park holds historical evidence of early Native Americans.  Mesas, flat plateaus, cover this eighty-one square mile National Park.  It is a significant place that helped shape America’s Native American history.

            Mesa Verde, Spanish for “green table,” is roughly one and a half miles above sea level.  The park collects ninety inches of snow a year and has temperatures ranging from fifteen to eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

The Native American tribes that lived in Mesa Verde from the sixth to twelfth century were called the Anasazi people.  The word Anasazi means “ancient enemy,” but due to the negative meaning, these Native Americans became known as the Puebloans.  They came to Mesa Verde to defend themselves from their enemies, the Cheyenne Indians in the sixth century.  The Anasazi people first built their houses on top of the mesas, but they soon built houses within the cliffs along the sides of the mountain to protect themselves from rain, snow, and falling rocks.  They built the houses out of wood and stone covered with adobe, a mixture of dirt, ashes, and water used as cement.  Their religious and family events took place in kivas, which are circular dwellings built underground.

A kiva

Ladder to climb down into the kiva

The women made baskets and pottery used for storing food and water and cooking. They cooked food in the baskets by heating a stone and placing it in the basket with the food and water.  The stone would heat the food in the basket and cook it.  They cooked food in pottery by placing pots over the fire until the food was cooked.  The men planted crops on the fertile mesas and hunted bison throughout the land.

The Anasazi people believed that the sun was their god.  It is for this reason that they built their cliff dwellings facing the East, the way the sun rises.  Another reason the Anasazi faced their dwellings toward the East was to avoid wind, which blows from the West to the East, and absorb the most heat possible.  The Native Americans climbed up the mountainside to protect them from wild animals.  They scaled the mountain by making notches in the rock to grasp as they climbed.

The Anasazi tribe did not have running water and just had one spot to relieve themselves.  This caused sickening hygiene problems, which killed people because they had no cure for the infections.  Another common health problem for the Native Americans were dental complications.  A severe drought came and forced the Anasazi people to move out once and for all around 1275.

On December eighteenth, 1888, Richard Wetherill and Charles Mason were looking for lost cattle when they stumbled along Mesa Verde.  They took mummies, arrowheads, axheads, clothing, and pottery to archaeologists to study and determine the mysteries of Mesa Verde. 

On June twenty-ninth, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Mesa Verde as a National Park. Roosevelt said he made it a National Park to “preserve the works of man”.

The people of Mesa Verde, its discovery, and its transformation into a National Park are things that both helped shape Native American history and our country’s memoir.  Preserving one of America’s National Parks is a great responsibility so the cliff dwellings can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Bibliography

Crewe, Sabrina and Anderson, Dale. The Anasazi Culture at Mesa Verde. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2003

 “Dec 18, 1888: Wetherill and Mason discover Mesa Verde,” n.d. Accessed November 27, 2012. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wetherill-and-mason-discover-mesa-verde

“Mesa Verde National Park.” n.d. Accessed November 27, 2012.  http://www.desertusa.com/ver/du_ver_map.html

 “Stepping back in time.” 2010. Accessed November 27, 2012.

http://www.visitmesaverde.com/mesa-verde-history.aspx

How-to Writing

The past few weeks we've been working on grammar...ick.  So, when it came time to write a how-to speech, the Jedi was pretty excited.  After mulling over several Halloween crafts on Pinterest, he finally decided on an edible project, of course.

I want to spend a special shout out to the creator of the Twinkie Mummies.  They've been a hit in my home and hopefully at a Halloween party we'll be attending this evening.

Mummy Twinkie Pop  Click here to see the original version.  We made some modifications because frankly, that candy melt is super sweet and I couldn't stomach coating an entire Twinkie with it. 

Happy Halloween!  

Our Angry-Bird Pumpkin

Or, as they say in the South...

Happy Fall Y'All

Happy Halloween How-to

 

How to Make Twinkie Mummies

A Twinkie Mummy makes a quick, easy, and edible Halloween craft and snack.  All you will need are twelve ounces of white candy melts, two boxes of ten Twinkies, twenty lollipop sticks, a cookie sheet, wax paper, one Ziploc storage bag, forty candy eyes, twenty gift bags, and twenty twist ties or ribbons. 

First, dump the candy melts into a microwavable bowl.  Melt the candy in the microwave on fifty percent power, stirring every thirty seconds until the candy is entirely melted.  While the candy is melting, unwrap the Twinkies.  Lay the Twinkies on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper so that you will not ruin your workspace.  As soon as the candy is melted, dip a lollipop stick into the melt, and then stick it three-quarters of the way into the Twinkie. Then, preform this step to all twenty Twinkies.

Afterwards, pour the melted candy into a Ziploc storage bag and cut a hole in the corner of the bag.  The size of the hole depends on how thick you want your Mummy’s wrappings to be.  A small hole produces small wrappings, while a thick hole creates thick wrappings.  Squeeze the candy melt out of the bag onto the Twinkie; moving the bag back and forth to make the Mummy’s wrapping. Do not cover the Twinkie completely with the candy melt so you can still see the yellow of the Twinkie.  Next, place the candy eyes onto the top third of the wrapping.  You can choose to do this to all Twinkies at once, a few at a time, or one at a time. 

Finally, position all the Twinkies in the refrigerator.  After five minutes have passed, take the Mummies out of the refrigerator and knock off the excess candy melt from the sides of each Twinkie.  Insert the Mummies into gift bags, and use the twist tie or ribbon to close the bags up. 

Voila!  The Mummy you have just made is an appealing Halloween snack.  Enjoy making and eating these delicious Mummies with friends and family.

Persuasive Writing

The Home School Jedi has been working on his persuasive techniques in anticipation for his editorial assignment. This week, he learned how to avoid propaganda techniques.  Here are some of the topics we avoided as he wrote his piece about seeing a show at our local theatre.

Bandwagon - Everyone's going to the theatre

Flattery - Only smart people, like you, appreciate theatre and the arts

Glittering Generalities - Fulfill the American dream and see a live show

Name-calling - Don't drive all the way to NYC to see an overpriced, overhyped musical

Promises - Want to be the coolest kid in town?  People will look up to you for seeing a live show

Testimonials - Tim Tebow likes the theatre

There's Always Drama in My Town!

            

Better Than Broadway

Have you ever seen a show at the Springer Opera House, the State Theatre of Georgia? Every year, the Springer hosts a season of musicals and dramas.  Both genres are filled with exceptional shows and extraordinary actors from Columbus.

Many of the actors and directors at the Springer are from Muscogee and Harris County and all are as talented as the ones on Broadway.  In fact, Shane Hall, choreographer of the current show 9 to 5, was in a National tour of Cats as Mr. Mistofelees.  Paul Pierce, producing artistic director of the Springer for twenty-five years, has directed over two hundred shows at the Springer.

Another reason you should see a show at the Springer is because they are always entertaining.  Ron Anderson, director of the Springer Children’s Theatre and Academy, is an extremely funny person.  He has an ability to make anybody laugh.  The shows at the Springer Children’s Theatre are sometimes based on books.  Mr. Ron has adapted many books into plays for the stage.  Two of my favorite works by Mr. Ron are Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer based on the book by Jimmy Carter and Oliviatown by Allen Levi.  The show that is currently on stage, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, is based on the novel by Judy Blume.

           

The shows at the Springer Opera House are educational as they teach a lesson in every show.  Last season’s show show, Amazing Grace, taught listeners not to judge people on the outside or by their skin color.  Damn Yankees taught the audience to be content with who you are and what you have.  

The State Theatre of Georgia is a historic landmark.  Columbus should be proud to have a theatre rich with history, filled with abundant talent, and packed with entertainment.  If you’ve never seen a show at the Springer, call Becky, my friend at the box office, today!  You will be glad you did!

springeroperahouse.org

Reflections on Month #1

It has been 4 weeks since I began home schooling and I though I'd post some honest reflections about it...

Surprisingly, I am really enjoying it!  I like being the one who decides what my son will learn and protecting the influences in his life.  He and I have always been close, but I feel like we've grown closer this month as we've figured out this home schooling thing together.

In the beginning, I didn't give him enough work to do.  I didn't think I was setting the bar low, seeing as I was moving much more quickly than he ever had in school.  However, what I realized is that he honestly wanted to learn.  The passion, desire, and hunger for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding that is deeply rooted in me is at his core as well.  Perhaps I underestimated the young Jedi...perhaps I underestimate more people than I realize?

When God looks at us He sees His creation and He knows our potential because He gifted each one of us specifically for His purpose.  My Pastor says that when God looks at us He sees a perfect 10 because He see's us through the filter of His Son, Jesus.  I think I've underestimated myself.

I didn't think I could do this, any of this:
Home school, get a Masters, heck - even be a good parent.  These were all things I'm genuinely surprised that I am able to do, but God isn't surprised one bit.

I journal everyday.  Every single day.  I cannot live without writing and I don't know why because it's only a recent discovery.  Honestly, my journal is a sloppy mess and it's certainly not in the American Psychological Associate (APA) format and it's safe sitting beside my bed because it's entirely indecipherable.  One of the reasons I like to journal is so I can see where I've been and how God has answered not only my prayers, but has blessed me beyond what I even knew was possible months or years after I cried out to Him.

As it hit me today that this was the one-month mark of home schooling, I flipped back to read what I wrote in my journal as I was preparing to start being a teacher.  I'll admit, it wasn't pretty.  That week I had two papers to write for my own school too.  I'll share an excerpt with you...I was praying through Proverbs 2:

"Please Lord God, I turn my ear towards wisdom and I'm applying my heart to understanding, but I'm getting burned out.  I need you in every single area of my life.  I'm calling out for insight, crying out for understanding, looking for it as for silver and searching for it as for hidden treasure.  Please, help me to find what I'm looking for - a greater knowledge and understanding of you Lord Jesus."

I remember clinging to the Lord that week knowing that I could not do this alone.   Here I am a month later and I cannot say He's opened my eyes to vast wisdom and understanding, but I have experienced a peace that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7).  I don't feel any smarter or better equipped, but I've made it a month.  I didn't make it by the skin of my teeth, hanging by a thread, or by any other cliche.  I can almost say I've thrived. 

God didn't underestimate me when He called me to all of this.  

If He didn't underestimate His child, why would I underestimate mine?  

Watch out young Jedi, God has high hopes for both of us!

Cleaning with Ketchup

The Jedi had been reading his assignments for his upcoming science lab at the local University and in the text he found a little science project. Since we had all of the materials, we decided to give it a try.
The experiment...

The experiment:  Will ketchup clean a penny?

The hypothesis?  The acids found in the ketchup will clean the penny and make it shine like new. 

The results?
Well, let's just say I won't be filling my bleaching trays with ketchup anytime soon!

The Jedi's hands actually absorbed the ketchup.  As you can imagine, he smelled like ketchup for at least two hours despite frequent hand washing.  All I can say is, "Yes, I would like fries with that."
Ta Da!!!  Not all that impressive really.  You can't tell from the picture, but it's a teeny tiny bit cleaner, really, it is. 

When attempting to determine WHY (pray tell) the ketchup didn't do that well cleaning, these ideas came to mind:
Ketchup is a very mild acid so maybe it needed to soak overnight?  (We rubbed it for 15 minutes)
Maybe it was our type of ketchup.  Perhaps the absence of High Fructose Corn Syrup made a difference...after all, they use acid to make HFCS.
Maybe we had a really dirty penny?
Maybe it wasn't dirt on the penny? 

The Jedi wanted to explore this further by trying hot sauce, but after the affects on his hands from the ketchup, I said no way! 

Writing

Over the last week and a half the Jedi has been working on writing a personal narrative.  He used a graphic organizer to brainstorm and 3 revisions later, we are excited to publish his work on our blog.  Feel free to leave him a comment or ask him a question! 

Personal Narrative

An Extraordinary Opportunity

by the Homeschool Jedi

I had no idea what a Snoogle-Fleejer was, but if it had anything to do with the Springer, I wanted to be a part of it.  In February 2011, Mr. Ron, the director of the Springer Theatre Academy, invited me to try out for the play, The Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer.  Mr. Ron adapted the play based on the book by former president Jimmy Carter.  Six other boys were competing for the part.  First, at the audition, Mr. Ron and Mr. Adam, a teacher at the Springer, started some warm-up games such as Zip-Zap-Zop and What Are You Doing.  Then, we had to read a monologue to Mr. Ron, and rehearse a scene with Mr. Adam.  Mr. Ron said that he would call us to tell us if we earned a part sometime in the next two days.  At the end of the try-out, my dad came to pick me up.  He went to Dunkin Donut’s and bought donut holes while I was at the audition and we ate them on the way home while we talked about the fun I had.

            Two days later, on the way to my sister’s dance practice, my mom got a call from the Springer.  My mom gave me the phone and told me to answer it.  When I picked it up, Mr. Ron asked, “Is this Joshua?”  I responded, yes, nervously.  He asked me if I would like to play the role of Jeremy.  Jeremy is the main character in the play, so it was an enormous opportunity to portray him.  I accepted the part and said thank-you.  After I hung-up the phone, my mom asked what part I was offered.  I told her that I was going to play the lead role of Jeremy.  Immediately, I called my dad and asked him to pick up my script at the Springer.

            I worked all day and night for two weeks memorizing the script.  By the first rehearsal, I already had it completely memorized.  My first rehearsals started the last week of February with only Mr. Adam, who would play The Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer, and me.  The two of us completed a lot of blocking, and by the next week, we were ready to combine the entire cast.  The majority of the cast was in the seventh or eighth grade, but at the time I was only in fourth grade.  My character, Jeremy, had a disability called cerebral palsy and I had to wear a leg brace.  The leg brace covered my leg up to the knee and made it difficult to walk.  I fell a couple of times during the practices, so the set designers had to put stairs on the side of the stage so that I wouldn’t fall off when I walked during the show.  

 

            The first show for the cast was March 23, 2011.  My paternal grandparents came all the way from Colorado to see me on opening night.  I was so excited to be in a play at the Springer.  I felt like I was going to explode with anxiety, excitement, and nervousness.  The play was excellent, and nobody messed up his or her lines!  After we changed out of our costumes, Mr. Ron met with the cast.  He asked us, “What did we do well, and what could we do better?”  The whole cast agreed that we could all be a little louder, but other than that it was perfect.  As soon as our meeting was over, I dashed into the reception room where the audience was mingling.  My family told me I did a splendid job.  We went out to eat at an incredible restaurant near the Springer called the Black Cow. 

            In addition to the evening shows, the Springer hosted school performances.  We performed a dozen school shows, where over three thousand students were present to see our performances.  During one of the school productions, my elementary school attended.  It was neat seeing my sister and familiar faces in the audience.

            Unfortunately, the final show of the Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer caught up with us.  My maternal grandparents and aunt came to see me at the last show.  After the production, Mr. Ron gave me a copy of the original Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer book with signatures from the whole cast.  It was very sad to end the show’s run, but Mr. Ron said, “There will always be another show!”  I couldn’t wait for that statement to come true because I love the Springer and acting.

A week in review

I didn't have much time to write last week what with having a 15 page paper due and all of the activities the kids are involved with back in full swing.  Fortunately, my paper and coordinating PowerPoint presentation have been submitted and I have completed Strategic HR Management!  It was by far the most labor intensive class I have taken in pursuit of my masters.  While I learned an enormous amount and had ample opportunities to put my learning into practice through 16 papers, I am exhausted!  Yet, no rest for the weary!  Today I begin my final class for my degree.  It's my Capstone course where I apply everything I've learned in the last 18 months towards a massive project.  I just don't know how I'm going to do this, but I'm encouraged that I don't have to do it all on my own:

I've been clinging to Philippians 4:13 and many others for the last 18 months.  God knew I'd be taking this class at precisely this time...even while homeschooling the Jedi.  Praise God He's in control!

Last week I set some ambitious goals for the Jedi and told him that if he finished all of his assignments by noon on Friday we could watch Red Tales, the movie about the Tuskegee Airmen.

He met his goal and we enjoyed watching Red Tails during the middle of the day.  It felt really weird, but it's one of the wonderful things I enjoy about homeschooling.

On top of the Jedi's regular work he also began his science lab class at the local university.  We are really excited the university is offering this class because its an opportunity for their science education majors to practice teaching and for our local homeschool students to participate in lab projects.  When I was selecting curriculum this summer I was completely intimidated by the science material.  Not only is science not my specialty, but lab equipment is expensive!  Thanks to some experienced local homeschool moms, this lab class started last week and is already off to a great start.  It looks like the Jedi will be participating in a science fair this year so he should be blabbing about that soon.

Another exciting thing happened in our home this week.  The Jedi is an avid thespian and attends an amazing theatre academy year round held by the official State Theatre of Georgia.  He has been blessed with the opportunity to hone his skills in improve, classical & contemporary scene study, musical theatre, puppetry, and this fall he will begin stilt walking and parkour.

When the Jedi was invited to audition for the next children's theatre production, he jumped at the opportunity!  There is no place on earth this kid would rather be than on a stage.  He was born for it.  I can say that because I'm a completely biased mother.  On Monday evening he attended the cast call where over 60 students from 4th-7th grade anxiously were hoping for a role in the show.  I love the Jedi's mindset as he always goes into these auditions with a serious attitude, but with the understanding that it is okay if he doesn't get a role and will gladly enjoy attending the performance and seeing his friends on stage.  In the Jedi's eyes, he's just happy to get to spend 2+ hours in the theatre regardless of whether or not he is cast in the show.

On the other hand, I am a nervous wreck every time he has an audition.  I'm praying God's favor over him and asking God to give the Jedi what is best for him.  I'm always torn between really wanting him to get a part and preparing him for what will happen if he is rejected.  At the same time, I never want to impress a lack of faith on him because I want him to believe God for big things.

Imagine my heartbreak when he called on his way home from the audition with my husband and is talking in a serious, downcast voice.  Immediately I say, "How was the audition, Buddy?"  He says, "It was okay Mommy."  When I asked what happened he shouts, "I got in the show!"  That little turkey.  I was already in tears...I guess he is a pretty good little actor.

So, our next month or so will be spent with every other day at the theatre and 9 glorious shows where I will enjoy watching the Jedi do what he loves most, performing on stage.  I can't wait!

Children of the Corn

Ok, so that was a creepy Steven King film, but we are quickly becoming the generation to consume the greatest amounts of corn.  Not only that, but we may be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than the previous generation.  Co-inky-dink?  I don't think so.

The Jedi finished up his school work by lunch time today and I'd had enough of my research paper for a bit so we decided to watch something educational on Netflix.

If you subscribe to Netflix or can check this out at the library, it is very interesting and a surprisingly non-political documentary.  King Corn.

Did you know that anywhere from 60%-90% of cattle feed is made up of corn.  When you eat a burger you are, in essence, eating corn.  The majority of corn grown is no longer for human consumption.  It is for animals, ethanol, and processing into sweeteners.

How did we get from this?

To this?  

Originally corn had 2x as much protein, but it has been refined and genetically modified to be easily processed and broken down cheaply.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE corn (on the cob)!

But I do not like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and my family makes pretty good efforts to avoid it.  I don't profess perfection, and I certainly have a sugar addiction, but I try to keep it as close to natural as possible.

Today, every isle in the grocery store is lined with corn.  It's found in juice, sodas, cookies, soups, spaghetti sauce, crackers, and even our meats!  If anything, this movie made us aware of how much corn we are actually eating.  In fact, the makers of the film had their hair tested and the majority of their carbon makeup is corn.

I guess mom was right, we really ARE what we eat.

Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board

Have you ever played Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board?

It was a silly game I used to play at sleepovers, but when the Jedi decided he wanted to do levitation all I could think of what that annoying chant from my childhood!

Well, what on earth am I talking about today?  Magnets.  We've been studying Earth Science and more specifically, natural resources.  Magnets can be both natural and man made.

For this study we were using neodymium magnets which are a combination of iron, boron and neodymium.  Because neodymium is a rare earth element it is much stronger than your average ferric refrigerator magnet.

If you've ever tried to levitate magnets, it's nearly impossible.  Luckily for us, my mother-in-law bought the Jedi a magnet levitator.

By turning the lever at the top we lowered a magnet that was competing against gravity to levitate the square neodymium magnet between two pieces of pyrolytic graphite plates.

It's very hard to see, but there is daylight between the magnet and the bottom plate.  It takes a lot of concentration and slow movement of the hand (everything a Jedi should be practicing anyway) to get the magnet to levitate.  We never could get it centered, but it was fun trying out all of the different magnets included in the kit!

If you like magnets, here's the link for the kit:

K & J Magnetics

Chocolate Math

Chocolate and Math?  Can it get any better than this?
(Yes, add coffee) 

Of course, when the Jedi's Sis got word that chocolate was involved she insisted we wait to do this lesson until after she got home.

We've been working on fraction and today we were dividing them.  I have to confess, everyone in our household loves math.  I know that sounds strange.  We were dividing fractions and I found this lesson in my teacher's guide for Horizon's Math 6.

We started with 2 chocolate bars.  Supposing we were baking a pie that requires 2/3 of a chocolate bar, how many pies can we make out of 2 whole bars?

Understanding dividing fractions using reciprocals is a lot easier when food is involved...

So, we know we need 2/3 of a bar per pie so our equation is going to look something like this:

2 ÷ 2/3 = 2 x 3/2 (reciprocal) = 2/1 x 3/2 = 6/2 (now we reduce) = 3

We can make 3 pies out of these 2 chocolate bars!  Woo-hoo!  Who's mouth is watering???  I wish I had a recipe for a pie that only took 2/3 of a chocolate bar.  Doesn't sound like it would have all that many calories, or all that much chocolate flavor now that I think about it.

Once our little math demo was complete we decided to pull out the old solar pizza box oven and fire up the grill...er sun.

Before:

After:

Mmmm, math never tasted so good!  

Accidental Science Lesson

Yesterday we found some huge mushrooms growing in our yard.  We decided to take some pictures and do some research on what makes mushrooms grow in the yard.  As I went for my morning run, I noticed these little buggers are all over my neighborhood.  I'm sure the gnomes are getting excited!

Nevertheless, we made a science lesson out of it and the Jedi wrote his first essay for this school year.  He wanted to post it along with the pics we took.

Happy Friday!

Meet the Fun-Guy (fungi)

Mushrooms

By: The Home School Jedi

Mushrooms from our yard

         Mushrooms grow in yards because of their main source, underground mycelia.  Mycelia are made up of two fused hyphae, tiny threads, which come out of spores.  The life cycle of mushrooms start with spores. Spores drop from mushrooms and fly into other yards.  The spores let out strands of hyphae that must find other hyphae that are compatible.  When two compatible hyphae meet, they fuse together to form mycelia.  Then, after a while, a mushroom gradually sprouts out of the ground and the life cycle starts over again.

Mushroom spores blow into yards from neighbors’ yards.  No matter where it lands, it will grow all over a yard.  The main source, underground mycelia, spreads out rapidly.  The sooner mushrooms are pulled out, the less chance spores will blow other places.  

The best way to get rid of them is not to pull them out of the ground, but to eliminate their food source.  Mushrooms feed off of dead plants, animal wastes, and old mulch.  They do not cause diseases in lawns, but do not make lawns look good either.  In a way, mushrooms help lawns because they are decomposers.  Decomposers are plants and animals that feed off of decaying material.

A way to eliminate mushrooms is to add nitrogen fertilizer to the mushrooms.  This helps because the fertilizer also decomposes so the mushrooms won’t have any food.  Another way to reduce mushroom growth is to pull them out before they can make more spores.  Some people want to spray mushrooms with fungicide, but it won’t work.

         Mushrooms are classified in different species.  Some mushroom species are edible, while others are not.  It is best not to eat any mushrooms found in yards for fear that they may be poisonous.

References:

http://www.weekendgardener.net/plant-diseases/mushrooms-090809.htm