Where Does Milk Come From?

 Ask an elementary age child where the milk in his or her refrigerator comes from and the answer you will probably receive is, “from the store”.  Surprisingly, most young school children not raised in rural areas are unaware that the milk they see in the dairy department at their local grocery store actually comes from a real animal. Thank goodness then for the Mobile Dairy Classroom.  Created in the 1930’s by dairy farmer Clarence Michel and the Dairy Council of California the mobile classroom’s soul purpose was to teach children how milk and dairy foods are produced. Needless to say, the wealth of learning from these mobile dairies and their fascination for children has not lost it’s appeal over the last seventy plus years. Children instinctively have a natural curiosity and love for learning new things. The importance then of reaching out and teaching them the role agriculture plays in supplying the food they eat and the benefits of including milk and dairy foods in a healthy diet at an early age can not be downplayed. The Mobile Dairy Classroom presentation lasts 30 minutes, the memories and information gained by the children lasts a lifetime.