Got Milk?

Ask students how many of them drink milk. Have them name other types of dairy products they like. (Ice cream, cheese, yogurt, butter, sour cream, pudding, etc.) Ask the students if they know how many servings of dairy are needed in their daily diet. What happens if you do not have enough calcium? Show them a picture of a normal bone and one with osteoporosis. Tell them this is what could happen if you do not consume the recommended servings. Discuss with students that milk is also a good source of nutrients such as:
• Protein for growth and repair of the body.
• Calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D for strong bones and teeth.
• Vitamin A and B vitamins for growth and health.

Introduce unit by showing a short video on milk. This educational video is about how ice cream is made. It starts at the farm and takes you to the factory where the ice cream is boxed up and sent out to supermarkets. www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=47302

Milk Blind Taste Test: Ask students what kind of milk they drink at home. Have students participate in a blind taste test of various kinds of milk. Have them record how each milk tastes on a chart. Can they tell the differences among the samples? Which did they like the most and the least? Discuss with students the only real difference between the milk is the amount of fat. Whole has the most fat, followed by 2%, 1%, then skim. They all have the same amount of calcium, protein, and vitamins.

Milk Mustache Photos - My students’ love creating milk mustaches posters and it is a great way to encourage kids to drink more milk. Kids love to have their photos taken and they love when you can get the principals, school nurse, guidance counselors and other teachers to pose for photos too!

To ensure that participants have great milk mustaches, try one of the following:
•Place about 3 tablespoons of whipped cream in a small disposable cup. Participants can dip their top lip into the cup or use clean hands to apply their own unique milk mustache. Make sure you use a clean cup and fresh whipped cream for each participant.
•In a blender, mix 3 parts vanilla ice cream with 1 part milk. The resulting drink should be slightly thick so that it will stay on the participant’s upper lip. Pour the mixture into small cups. Just before the photo is taken, the participant should hold the cup up to their mouth and tip it back while keeping their head still. Make sure they keeps their mouth closed as they “drink on their mustache.”
Once the photos have all been taken, I have my students’ research the health benefits of drinking milk to add to their photos. Print and post them around school and in the cafeteria.

Creating a Smoothie: Have students work in groups to create smoothies using milk, fresh fruit, and other ingredients. Have the groups taste each others products and share the recipes.