While some students may think milk comes from the store, AUSD students in grades TK-5 now know better — thanks to the Dairy Council of California’s Mobile Dairy Classroom and its star, a live cow.
Since the 1930s, the Mobile Dairy Classroom has been educating children across the state, helping bridge the gap between students’ understanding of agriculture and the food they eat. What began with a single dairy farmer in Venice, California, has expanded into a statewide program featuring six full-time dairy educators who visit hundreds of schools. The program teaches students how food gets from the farm to the table — and, specifically, how milk goes from the cow to the container.
These free, outdoor assemblies feature a 35-foot trailer, a truck, an agricultural educator, and, of course, the cow. Younger students learn new vocabulary, cow anatomy, how milk reaches their refrigerators, and the importance of agriculture in their everyday lives. Older students dive deeper into topics like the cow’s digestive system and the technology used in modern agriculture.
Students across AUSD were thrilled to meet the cow and discover fun facts about farming and agriculture firsthand.
