The Mobile Dairy Classroom rolled into the Mesa Verde Elementary campus this past week and students had the chance to meet Coco the cow and presenter Kimberlee McLaughlin with the California Dairy Council at an informative assembly.

There were two assemblies during the morning that were each about 45 minutes long for all students to enjoy. During the assemblies, McLaughlin and Coco taught the students about the anatomy of a dairy cow, how milk and dairy foods are produced, agricultural technology used on farms, and the different foods that are made from milk.

“Students learned that cows have one big stomach that has four pockets,” added Mesa Verde Principal Kimberly Ott. “They learned about the cow’s digestive system and they learned what the term “chewing cud” actually means. They also learned how to milk a cow by hand and how a pump can also be used.”

The feedback regarding the assembly from students and teachers was very positive according to Ott.

“The students said they loved the assembly and the teachers also gave feedback about how great the assembly was and how much their students loved it,” said Ott. “The students loved it when Miss Kim showed them how to use a hand to milk a cow and Coco the cow sprayed milk.”

The Mobile Dairy Classroom incorporates language arts, math and science into the assembly that coincides with the Common Core State Standards.

“I would definitely invite them back,” stated Ott. “We live in one of the richest agriculture areas in the world and it is so important for students to learn about and understand how much agriculture contributes to and impacts their lives. As a classroom teacher in San Joaquin County, I spent a couple of summers taking classes with the San Joaquin Farm Bureau, learning about all the ways teachers can support ag education in the classroom. I’m so happy to be able to continue to support ag education here in Stanislaus County.”

Prior to the visit from McLaughlin and Coco, the teachers were given links to the Dairy Council website so that they could receive information to continue agriculture learning.

According to the Dairy Council of California, their programs complement other nutrition education programs including free, in-classroom nutrition curriculum to build healthy-eating behaviors from all five food groups.