More Teaching Ideas

Graphing Favorite Dairy Foods

Grade Level: Primary

1. Tell students that June is Dairy Month, the time of year we celebrate the wonderful variety of dairy foods available to us. Not only are dairy foods delicious, they provide us with calcium and other nutrients we need for strong bones. Ask students to name several Milk Group foods, then create the following list on the board.

   - White milk
   - Strawberry milk
   - Chocolate milk
   - American cheese
   - String (mozzarella) cheese
   - Cheddar cheese
   - Strawberry yogurt
   - Blueberry yogurt
   - Chocolate ice cream
   - Vanilla ice cream

2. Read each Milk Group food aloud. Ask students to raise their hands if they like that item. Next to each food, write the number of students who indicated they liked it.

3. Ask each student to pick three of their favorite Milk Group foods and make a bar graph showing how many classmates also liked these three foods. Post graphs around the room.

4. Follow this activity with a "dairy tasting party." Choose three or four dairy products for children to taste. If new flavors of milk, such as banana or orange, are available in your area, include them. Or try some unusual flavors of yogurt or mild-flavored cheese, such as Provolone or Havarti. Take a poll at the end of the party and add these to your class list.