Dairy Cows: Primary This section allows pupils to consider how important milk is in terms of nutrition, as well as informing students of where milk comes from, what can be made out of milk, and some of the science and tech innovations implemented on dairy farms. There is a short video which would benefit those pupils who are not familiar with the dairy industry and milk production. Introduction The introductory section invited students to consider first of all which animals we may find on a UK farm, and then which animals provide us with milk to buy in our shops. Depending on context of delivery, students could either: a) Decide in pairs or groups then provide feed-back; b) Use mini-whiteboards to display their answer for each species individually; or c) verbally provide feed-back as you move through each species individually. Predominantly, milk from cows, goats, sheep, is produced and sold UK. One Bath farmer is producing horse milk using his mares (female horses). His milk is available to buy in small amounts online but it isn’t available widely. Combe Hay Mare's Milk | Naturally Nutritious Milk and Beauty Products Pig milk is not available to purchase in the UK. Sows (female pigs) do produce milk, but it is very difficult to milk them as they have 14 teats that are very near to the ground. Camel milk is not produced in the UK but it is available to purchase. In some areas of the world, camel milk is very popular. There is only one European Camel farm. It is located in the Netherlands. The farm produces milk, milk powder, soap, and cream all made from the camel’s milk. Should you wish to further explore this route, you can find out more about the farm here and also see the camels live via their cameras. About Us - UK Camel Milk Ltd Milk: Where Does it Actually Come From? Explain that the predominant focus of this session will be cow’s milk as it is the most commonly consumed type in the UK. First, invite students to watch a video of cows being milked in a traditional milking parlour. Milk: Why drink it? This section provides explanation of the nutritional benefits of drinking milk. Should you wish to use this session in a lesson, students could create a poster to illustrate the benefits of drinking milk. The secondary resource delves into the nutritional benefits in more detail. For some Year 6 groups, you may find additional information useful. What other products can be made from milk? This section shows simply what can be made of milk. Explain that milk is also in many products we wouldn’t necessarily think about so they should take a look around their kitchens to see what else contains milk. Could this be a homework activity? Alternatively, use a shopping basket. Use some products that definitely do contain milk, some that definitely do not, and also a few that might surprise students. Milking with Robots This section demonstrates some of the tech advances utilised in the dairy industry and their advantages. Further Activity Ideas Dairy Use milk and live yogurt to culture your own yogurt in class, make butter, or make ice cream quickly and easily in class. Making butter works well in groups as it requires students to move the liquid continually, and sometime arms get tired! Afterwards, reward students for their efforts by spreading their butter onto fresh warm bread! Some year 6 classes may be able to use milk to create plastic with a simple STEM experiment. There are a whole host of dairy resources including looking at dairy farming at Countryside Classroom. Follow this link for a ‘dairy’ search: Teaching Resources | Countryside Classroom Also investigate the sheep and goat milking industries in the UK. The video, https://www.whyfarmingmatters.co.uk/using-the-videos shows more of where milk comes from and what it can be made into. Further Links For further classroom resources, inspiration, and information on using food, farming and the countryside within education: • https://leafuk.org/education/leaf-education • Home | Countryside Classroom • www.whyfarmingmatters.co.uk • www.foodafactoflife.org.uk • https://leafuk.org/farmertime/home • Contact your local LEAF Regional Education Consultant ([email protected]) and organise for your pupils to experience fruit and vegetable farming themselves by visiting a local farm. .