Immanuel Lutheran School Visit Fair Oaks Dairy

The fourth and fifth grade of Immanuel Lutheran School visited Fair Oaks Dairy on Monday, February 22nd, 2010.fair-oaks-farms

Their teachers, Mrs. Sara Cunningham and Mrs. Kathy Ickstadt planned this trip as a collaborative effort to extend our classes' learning outside of the school. "Most children we teach live in the city. They don't know what a dairy farm is like, much less seeing a calf being born!" enthused Kathy Ickstadt. The students traveled by school bus for an hour to get to Fair Oak Farms. We took another bus on the grounds to tour the barns where they keep the cows sheltered and fed. We got to see, firsthand, how hundreds of cows can be milked at one time on a circular milking machine. We felt how warm the milk is coming from the body of a cow, and how cold it is kept until delivered to the stores!  The students saw a 3D movie while getting sprayed (with water) to simulate actually milking a cow. Lastly, we awaited and saw the birth of a male calf from a 2 year old, first-time mother cow. It was truly amazing!!!

The students commented afterward that this was one of the best field trips they have ever been on.