I've been busy growing my tribe & not skills, etc. Now I'm faced with a growing population & diminishing food. What are some emergency ways to get food quickly? Tips, hints, cheats, etc all welcome. Thanks!

Try to get as many kids as you can to get the same mushroom. To do this, you can pause.

We tried that on the red mushroom and it disappeared, and none of the kids ended up with it. So now we're worse off. What was up with that?

You might be playing VV2, that's when it doesn't work.

The only advice I can really give in that case is

Which puzzles did you solved? I recommend the puzzle n° 2!
The best is to look at Forums List » The Guides » Virtual Villagers 2: The Lost Children Guide » [BIG SPOILERS] Detailed solutions for the puzzles!
Good luck!