Cheese Logic Puzzle      
A logic puzzle is a problem that can be solved using deductive reasoning. A deduction
is a logical conclusion drawn from two or more true statements. One common type of
logic puzzle involves a tool known as an elimination grid. In this activity, students will
learn about machines then use an elimination grid to solve a puzzle.

Cud to Curd      
Doesn’t a gooey bowl of macaroni and cheese sound good? What kind of cheese do
you like best in this dish? Or, do you like a blend of several different types? Students
will follow the process from cow to cheese and learn fascinating facts about the steps it
takes to make some of our favorite cheeses.

Ice Cream in A Bag Experiments      
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, but did you know that the fat content
of the dairy ingredients can change the flavor? Use this favorite treat to engage
students in science inquiry.

Making Cottage Cheese      
Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her cottage cheese...wait, what? The
cheesemaking process involves the by-products of curds and whey. This activity will
result in a snack for students to taste!

MIlk Math      
Most of us understand milk quantity by volume. A school lunch milk carton contains 8
ounces, 1 cup or 1⁄2 pint. Jugs of milk at the grocery store usually contain 1 gallon. But
dairy farmers measure the milk production of their cows by weight, not volume, and they
are paid by the hundredweight, or 100 pounds of milk. Challenge students to convert
milk measurements from volume to weight and back again as they explore the steps
from udder to glass.

Moo-ving Through the Ages      
As we have moo-ved through the ages, many changes have taken place in the dairy industry.
We have gone from lots of farms with some cows milking by hand with no electricity to fewer
farms with larger herds and utilizing technologically advanced automated systems. Explore the
changes in the dairy industry through a timeline, Illinois dairy numbers, primary source
images, and a farm family’s story.

Penciling Out Dairy Production      
Students sometimes say, “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” Well, any time
you produce something to make money, you need to keep track of the costs of
production compared to the value of what is produced. Students will explore the
profitability of milk production as they perform calculations using actual dairy statistics.

Supply & Demand      
Students will work together on the concepts of supply, demand and pricing. Working
with various scenarios, they will decide the effects of these scenarios on supply,
demand and pricing of items.

What Kind of Milk Do You Drink?      
Ask your students where milk comes from, and they will surely reply, “cows!” But are
cows the only source of milk consumed by humans? Students will learn about other
animals used for milk and why dairy-providing species vary across the globe. They will
then generate questions to prompt further research into dairy production.