The Story of Milk– Making Butter with Preschoolers

While discovering a food motif, I actually such as to instruct the children concerning where food comes from. Milk as well as dairy items are an excellent group to explore in this manner. I begin by asking the kids if they have milk at their homes. They normally all reply in the affirmative. After that I ask where milk originates from. A LOT OF kids recognize milk originates from a cow, though they’re a bit hazy on the details, as well as from time to time you’ll discover a little one who hasn’t also come to the cow-milk link yet. Once we establish that milk originates from cows, I ask if the youngsters have any kind of cows in the house. Most kids don’t. So after that I ask exactly how they obtained the milk they have in their fridges? They came from the store! Well, does the shop have any kind of cows? None that they have actually seen! So how does it arrive? It’s a long journey! After that, I clarify that I want to tell them the story of milk!

I like to tell the story utilizing images (I have actually connected some examples for you) as well as telling about my grandfather who was a dairy products farmer. I inform them a little regarding him, after that reveal a photo of cows grazing. I inform them that when cows eat turf, some of that food mosts likely to providing the cow energy and also making it healthy and balanced, and part goes to making milk in the cow. Next, I show an image of udders( closer right here). This is a point of complication, as well as not just for kids. Have you ever before seen the animated movie “Barnyard”? ALL of the cows, including male characters, have breasts. It drives me insane! Yet I digress. Be clear that the udders are where the milk is stored in the mother cow. You might have someone insurance claim that the udders are used for going to the bathroom. Simply resolve that as incorrect, and concentrate on the milk!

When my grandpa first started farming, he milked cows by hand. I inform the youngsters that I don’t have a cow for them to milk, yet I have something comparable. I draw out a pair of latex-type handwear covers (be mindful of allergies below) that have been filled with watered down milk. The fingertips have been punctured with a pin. I give each kid a possibility to press these imitation breasts and also attempt to spray the milk right into a container. (You may need several sets to get through a huge team quickly.)

When everybody has had a turn, I explain that with all that work, we just have a little bit of milk. Well, milk farmers have a lot of method and they obtain pretty good and also quite quick at bleeding. But along the road, someone was really smart and generated a milking maker to make sure that dairy farmers can milk a lot of cows extremely rapidly all at once! When the milk is gathered, it is cooled and also pumped right into an unique tanker truck made especially for transferring milk! (Obviously I show one more image here.)

The truck takes the milk to a manufacturing facility where it is prepared. It might be packaged into a carton of milk like the one in your fridge or it might be made use of to make one more kind of milk food. I reveal a few samples like cheese, yogurt, as well as my fave obviously, ice cream! I likewise reveal manufacturing facility pictures (loads to pick from, simply google “cheese factory images”) and discuss exactly how the factory is type of like a significant cooking area where they can prepare as well as mix as well as blend the milk with various other points to produce one more type of food. Then I tell the kids that we are mosting likely to resemble a little manufacturing facility and also make butter from a part of the milk called lotion. Here’s just how:

Tag tidy, tiny baby food jars with the children’s names. Load them concerning half-way with cream. Protect the lids and also cover them in paper towels in instance of leaking. Have the kids drink them vigorously. It takes around 10 mins for the butter to congeal right into a little sphere (there will certainly also be an apart fluid called whey). You might wish to have the children tremble while they dance and afterwards as they pay attention to a tale. Some might need to proceed shaking throughout the day or in your home. If you’re sending these butters residence, prepare a note beforehand describing the task to make sure that moms and dads recognize that this mysterious ball is butter and that they may require to assist finish the task. Or you might pick to make use of one larger jar and also take turns with the youngsters drinking it and also utilize the butter at snack time.

If you weren’t lucky adequate to grow up with a dairy products farmer as your grandfather, as well as you’re not so comfortable just ad-libbing your own milk tale, do not worry. You can locate the story of milk online at www.moomilk.com( click the icon that checks out: The Virtual Excursion, The Story of Milk). You could additionally utilize among these terrific publications: Milk Comes From a COW? by Dan Yunk or From Lawn to Milk by Stacy Taus-Bolstad. Intersperse whatever narration technique you utilize with the milking and butter-making activities! These combined tasks are excellent for showing the origins of food, which builds scientific research knowledge, and it also advertises huge and little electric motor skills as the kids milk the fake breasts and drink their containers of butter! If you’re lucky sufficient to have the resources, you may even think about taking a field trip to a dairy products ranch or a cheese manufacturing facility!

For more food-themed activities, go here!

.?. !! Top cow image by marijnvb.

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