Dairy Education

Educator Lessons

A Dairy Good Education

From start to finish, share the stories of dairy with your students – from the farm to nutritious dairy products that land on the table to enjoy! Provide some Wisconsin Dairy perspective to your students with our standards-based videos and lesson plans inspired by dairy farmers about dairy farming and dairy products.

Video Lessons

 

All Grades

Introduce students to the basics of dairy farming with these We Are America's Dairyland videos that pair well with our lessons.  Our virtual dairy farm tour is the perfect way to take a field trip with your class without leaving the school building! Students of any age will experience firsthand a day in the life of a Wisconsin Dairy Farmer!

Grades 4-5

Help students discover healthy foods grown or produced in Wisconsin using this 15-minute video field trip across the state - a perfect match for your Wisconsin History unit.

High School

Learn how Wisconsin Milk is transformed into award-winning Wisconsin Cheese!

Featured Video Lesson

Farm to Table with Wisconsin Dairy

"Farm to Table with Wisconsin Dairy" takes students on a virtual video field trip across the state of Wisconsin. They’ll discover healthy foods grown or produced in Wisconsin. Explore the impact agriculture has on Wisconsin’s economy along with the foods grown or produced in Wisconsin.

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Book Lessons

 

Kindergarten

Introduce students to the concept that fresh and healthy food comes from the farm. Students are introduced to a variety of foods from the five food groups, categorized by color.

Grade 1

Take students on a learning tour of a Wisconsin farm by reading the journal notes from a field trip to the farm. Students will experience and learn a variety of ways in which foods from the five food groups are produced, the parts of the food that we eat, and how foods produced on a farm make our bodies healthy.

Grade 2

Take students on a scientific journey to discover how milk is made into Wisconsin Cheese. Students will explore the process of turning a liquid, milk, into a solid, cheese. The steps of cheesemaking are brought "under the microscope: for students to learn the role of science in cheesemaking."

Dairy Lessons

 

Grades 2 through 4

Dairy Recyclers lesson

Dairy Recyclers

This lesson teaches students that recycling is an important sustainability practice that helps protect our environment. Students most likely recycle at home, and dairy farmers recycle too — everything from the water they use to the food they feed their cows.

Water Wise lesson

Water Wise

This lesson introduces students to conserving water in dairy farming, as it is an important goal for farmers, as it should be for students and their families — because we all share the same local watershed, whether we live in a rural, suburban, or urban community.

Dairy math lesson

Dairy Math

This lesson follows a day in the life of a dairy farmer, challenging students to use their math skills to help care for cows, practice sustainable agriculture, and help the farmer’s family follow the USDA MyPlate guidelines for healthy eating that students can then apply to their family meals at home.

Farm to table lesson

Farm to Table

This lesson teaches students about the importance of local agriculture for the community and reinforces MyPlate nutrition guidelines for healthy eating to help inspire students to grow their own food in a school or home garden.

Dairy cares lesson

How Dairy Cares

This lesson introduces students to some of the sustainable farming practices dairy farmers have adopted to care for the environment, their cows, and consumers. Students also learn about the nutrition provided by dairy products.

Dairy during your day lesson

Dairy During Your Day!

In this lesson, students explore aspects of dairy farming from raising healthy cows to conserving water to inspiring farm-to-table trends that all families can enjoy.

Discover dairy science lesson

Discover Dairy Science!

This lesson teaches students about the science behind milk, cheese, and yogurt production, spotlighting the nutrition dairy foods offer as part of a balanced diet.

Middle School and High School

Science on the farm lesson

Science on the Farm (Middle School)

Introduce your middle school students to the important roles that technology and bioscience play in modern farming.

Farming for the future lesson

Farming for the Future (High School)

Engage your students in critical thinking as they explore the concept of sustainable nutrition by focusing on dairy farms.

Other Resources

Click on each to download:

Discover Dairy

Bring the dairy farm into your classroom with Discover Dairy! This resource for educators includes our popular Adopt-A -Cow Program, a dairy education curriculum incorporating Common CORE and STEM standards, and a variety of activities and videos targeted to elementary and middle school students.

Adopt-A-Cow Program

The Adopt-A-Cow Program provides a yearlong virtual experience for students to care for a Wisconsin calf, learn about her life on the farm, interact with a local Wisconsin dairy farmer, and bring Wisconsin agriculture into your classroom. The program is ideal for both virtual and in-person learning!

VIRTUAL FARM TOUR

Ever wonder what happens on a Wisconsin Dairy Farm? Meet Julia Nunes, dairy farmer and the 74th Alice in Dairyland, and take a tour of her family farm, Scientific Holsteins. Experience firsthand a day in the life of a Wisconsin Dairy Farmer!