Schools provide an important opportunity to build trust, support and long-term loyalty with children for the Australian dairy industry by providing education opportunities that align with the curriculum.
The Australian Curriculum addresses learning about food and fibre production from foundation through to year 10, providing a framework for young Australians to gain knowledge, skills and understandings about the production of the food they eat and primary industries, such as dairy.
In March and April, Dairy Australia delivered virtual classroom sessions to teach more Australian children about food and fibre, introducing topics such as jobs on dairy farms, how dairy foods are produced in Australia, technology, sustainability and the health and nutritional benefits of consuming dairy.
The lessons were hosted by a qualified teacher and Western Australian dairy farmer Bonnie Ravenhill and live streamed into the classroom from her farm, taking students on a tour of her farm, showing the dairy cows, different types of feed and some of the equipment used on the farm.
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Students were very engaged throughout the session and were able to ask Mrs Ravenhill questions along the way.
"It is incredibly important to educate all kids about our amazing dairy industry," she said.
"Not only do I want to connect with any potential future dairy farmers, I also want to connect with future consumers and help shine a positive spotlight onto our industry.
"As dairy farmers we all know how much care and work goes into producing our premium milk and I am glad I was able to convey that message to the students."
Participating schools were provided with a teacher guide to support further learning and access to Discover Dairy's free curriculum-linked resources. The resources featured a variety of engaging activities to build upon the students' learning from the virtual classroom sessions.
The eight 45-minute lessons engaged 36 schools, reaching more than 1000 students and 72 teachers. Students also sent in further questions after the session enabling Dairy Australia to further connect students with resources and videos from the Discover Dairy website.
Dairy Australia schools engagement advisor Jennie Annand said: "Teaching kids about where their food comes from and developing healthy eating habits is one of the most important life skills we can give them.
"The lessons were well received with teachers reporting high engagement by students."
Anyone who is interested in becoming involved in future lessons should contact schools@dairyaustralia.com.au. For school resources and information about Dairy Australia's school programs visit www.dairy.edu.au.
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