Category: In the Classroom
Snowman String Cheese Snack Idea
Stephanie Sattazahn, an elementary teacher from Pennsylvania, got creative this month with this dairy snack idea. She told her students that their adopted calf, Bella, had given them each a delicious string cheese snack and made some simple connections to nutrition and health. To add a fun winter/holiday twist to this clever idea, try decorating…
Thanksgiving Kitchen Table Activity with “Farmers Fuel the World” Lesson
In this activity, your students can learn how their Thanksgiving food gets to their kitchen table sustainably. The hardworking farmers across the country are behind every piece of food they eat during the holiday season. What dairy products will they have during their meal? Encourage your students to talk to their family members and ask which dairy products are used in recipes…
Football & Thanksgiving: “Design Your Own Game Day Plan” Activity
Thanksgiving and football go hand in hand for a lot of families! Encourage your students to fuel their bodies this Thanksgiving with delicious food, and then get outside and active with their family (throw a football, go to the park or another activity)! In this “Fuel Your Game Day – Every Day Is Game Day” activity,…
Cow Spot Fingerprint Craft
This preschool classroom did a fun craft when they were sending mail to their host farm using the Adopt a Cow “Contact Your Farmer” tool! Just like every fingerprint is different, no cow has the same spots. You can share this fact with your students as they create their own fingerprint cow painting – and consider…
Make-Your-Own Butter Activities for National Butter Day on Nov. 17
National Butter Day is happening on November 17, so it’s the perfect day to celebrate all things dairy and do some interactive activities with students! During these lessons, students will be introduced to both the history and science behind the process of turning heavy whipping cream (which comes from milk) into butter. Your class will…
Coloring Sheets for Students Over Thanksgiving Break
With Thanksgiving Break quickly approaching, why not send home some dairy-themed coloring sheets with your students to keep the Adopt a Cow program fresh in their minds? Check out some of these coloring sheet resources: – Undeniably Dairy Coloring Book (includes fun facts and recipes!) – How We Get Our Milk Coloring Book (with a…
Plan a Taste-Testing Activity
This fourth-grade classroom was introduced to Nance Farm Creamery through the Adopt a Cow program. To help students learn more about their host farm, this teacher brought in different flavors of milk from Nance Farm Creamery for her students to taste test! If your host farm makes and sells their own dairy products like milk,…

Adopt a Cow Program Helps Kindergarten Teacher Show Students Dairy Farmers Are Real People
August 17, 2023Adopt a Cow Program Helps Kindergarten Teacher Show Students Dairy Farmers Are Real People
As a long-term substitute at an elementary school in Washington, Amy Vaagen was looking for a way to engage her kindergarten students and get them excited about learning. Located near the Columbia River Basin where they grow tree fruit, her students were familiar with agriculture but most had never been exposed to dairy farming in…
Indiana Music Teacher Finds Harmony Between Agriculture and Music
Agriculture and music might not seem like they go together, but Michael Klinger, a high school band and choir teacher in south central Indiana, was able to show his students the two worlds have more in common than they might think. Michael signed up his Indiana music department for Discover Dairy’s Adopt a Cow program…

First-Grade Teacher Builds Community Connections and Strong Citizens with Adopt a Cow Program
March 29, 2023First-Grade Teacher Builds Community Connections and Strong Citizens with Adopt a Cow Program
Anna Breitbach, a first-grade teacher in South Florida, is in her first year of teaching at a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) school. To bring some excitement to her classroom and help students build connections with their community, she signed up for Discover Dairy’s Adopt a Cow program after finding a video from another…