Melany Kahn feels that mushroom foraging, or simply mushrooming, is best taught on the scene with an experienced mycologist. As a mushroom educator, author of children’s book Mason Goes Mushrooming and a second-generation forager, she would know.

“It’s an immersive event where you’re using all five senses — smell, touch, feel, hearing and even taste in some cases,” she said.

This weekend, Ms. Kahn returns to the Vineyard to share her knowledge of mycology, the study of fungi. Just like her home state of Vermont, the Island is a great place to forage for mushrooms, especially during a rainy, hot summer, she said.

“You’re probably seeing mushrooms just everywhere,” she said. “The only difference is they are a little sandier down here.”

Ms. Kahn’s parents, artists Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason, started visiting the Island in the ‘70s, and she said she spent every summer here for about 25 years. Her parents were taught to mushroom by Alex Reed, and when he died they wanted to keep the activity going.

“When I was little, my dad would pull over to the side of the road to paint or draw a barn, and I had to have a basket in the car to go out and entertain myself,” she said.

One of Ms. Kahn’s goals is to make sure people know that mushrooming isn’t dangerous as long as everyone is very careful about what they eat. Some mushrooms are toxic if consumed, so the activity requires caution.

“It’s a science — you’re not guessing what you’re eating,” she said. “I certainly don’t.”

Even so, she said it is okay to touch most any mushroom, just like many things people touch every day but cannot eat. “You just wash your hands after you go foraging, as you would if you go fishing or if you go hunting or gardening,” she said. Even Ms. Kahn, who has been foraging as long as she can remember, is still learning. She said mycology is an extensive field, and she adds about one new mushroom to her repertoire each year.

At her events this weekend, Ms. Kahn will teach the basics of interacting with mushrooms safely.

“I’m advocating for mushroom education so that you feel more comfortable going in the woods and interacting with mushrooms,” she said.

On Friday at 3:30 p.m., Ms. Kahn will read from her book at the West Tisbury Public Library and lead an interactive session during which children can learn the basics of identifying mushrooms by touch, smell and observation.

“Kids are excellent foragers,” she said. “You know, they’re close to the ground, they’ve got really sharp eyes.”

On Saturday morning, Ms. Kahn will lead a family mushroom foray at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The event includes a foraging walk.

“It’s where you start seeing how completely connected we are to the mycelial universe,” Ms. Kahn said.

According to Ms. Kahn, mushrooms aren’t just food.

Part of her display includes lightweight bricks and small boxes from the company Ecovative. The products are formed by a mushroom structure that grows into a mold with fibers like hemp or saw dust, and Ms. Kahn sees them as part of the future of sustainable products. “They’re making leather, they’re making food, they’re making building products,” she said. “They’re making all of these things that are going and taking the place of plastic foam and packaging.”

Saturday’s “mushroom meander,” as Ms. Kahn calls it, will give Islanders an opportunity to see the mushrooms that are growing in their community and to learn about the ways they can be used — edible or not.

“It’s an invitation to come in and dip your toe into mycology and see what the fuss is all about,” she said.