The Discover Dairy program is offering free dairy curriculum and programs to elementary and middle school teachers in and around Pennsylvania this school year. Discover Dairy aims to increase student exposure to agriculture and dairy farming through lesson series, classroom enrichment activities, digital resources, and more.
Discover Dairy is funded and managed through the Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania. Currently, 11,000 educators in Pennsylvania and surrounding areas are enrolled in the program. So far, 346,000 students have been impacted by the program to date.
This year, Discover Dairy has a web portal created to help teachers navigate lessons and content. Students can also use the new interactive app to engage with the program. The lesson series meets Pennsylvania state educational standards and science, math, and reading anchors. Social studies and STEM concepts are also covered to show students where milk comes from and how dairy contributes to the world.
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“We have been working to enhance the program with new features and digital content to make the lessons easier for teachers to introduce to students this school year,” said Brittany Snyder, Dairy Education Program Manager at the Dairy Excellence Foundation. “From cross-curricular lessons that are focused on animal health and dairy nutrition to virtual farm tours, video motivators, lab resources, and so much more, the Discover Dairy platform is interactive and brings dairy farming to life for elementary and middle school students.”
Teachers who sign up for Discover Dairy can apply for farm tour field trip grants throughout the year.
“I like the farm tour field trip grants because they are hands-on, and I think kids need to learn about agriculture and where their milk comes from. The whole hands-on experience is really beneficial to them,” said Chrissy Blycheck, a first-grade teacher in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, who received a grant for a farm tour field trip through Discover Dairy.
Another program managed by Discover Dairy is the Adopt a Cow program. This free, interactive program has impacted over 800,000 students worldwide. Each classroom that enrolls in the Adopt a Cow program is paired with a calf from a dairy farm. Instructors will receive photos, video updates, and activity sheets throughout the school year that allow them to watch their calf grow. The enrollment deadline for the Adopt a Cow program is September 15, 2022.
“We’re in a rural area, so I think it’s important for the kids to be able to make common connections. They seem to focus better on a subject if you include animals and agriculture. If I can point out something they’re familiar with, they are so much more interested,” said Angela Eyth, a fourth-grade teacher from Butler, Pennsylvania. “With the Adopt a Cow program, students typically want to go research things about the calf and the farm right away. They ask me every week for new updates about our calf.”
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Dairy producers interested in getting involved with schools around their community can find resources on the Discover Dairy website. Discover Dairy has a farm tour planning kit with guides, checklists, activity ideas, and frequently asked consumer questions. A Classroom Calf Experience is also available for dairy producers who want to connect with their local schools by providing class experiences.
Discover Dairy is an educational series managed by the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania in partnership with American Dairy Association Northeast, American Dairy Association Indiana, Midwest Dairy, The Dairy Alliance, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Dairy Council of Arizona and Nevada, Dairy West, New England Dairy, Dairy Farmers of Washington, American Dairy Association Mideast, Dairy Council of Florida, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, and Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council.
