Cow in the classroom at Lincoln Elementary School

Lincoln School Principal Elaine Rohleder introduces Callie Toews, mobile dairy classroom instructor.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

It’s not often you find a cow in a classroom, even if that classroom is outdoors.

To their delight, that’s exactly what students at Lincoln Elementary School, 1906 Ash, saw Tuesday morning.

Jitterbug, a six-year-old Jersey dairy cow, was accompanied by Callie Toews, instructor of the mobile dairy classroom sponsored by Southwest Dairy Farmers.

The program is free, paid for by a checkoff program through Dairy Farmers of America marketing cooperative.

“We talk about where milk comes from, how a cow makes milk and how the milk gets to consumers,” Toews said.

“It’s simple and easy for the kids to understand,” said Elaine Rohleder, Lincoln principal. Toews is the daughter of Beth Unruh, western Kansas educational consultant for the Lexia reading program used by Hays USD 489.

Jitterbug is a 6-year-old Jersey dairy cow and produces 6-8 gallons of milk a day.

During her discussion with four classes of second and third-graders, Toews talked about milk’s nine vitamins and nutrients and the recommended three daily servings of dairy products. The students were quick to shout-out some of their favorite foods made from milk, including ice cream, and a not-so-favorite, cottage cheese.

A large television attached to the side of Jitterbug’s trailer showed pictures and videos illustrating the information Toews provided, including different types of dairy cattle and milking barns.

Toews gets ready to demonstrate the milking process with Jitterbug.

“Jitterbug produces six to eight gallons a day of milk,” she told the students who agreed among themselves they couldn’t drink that much milk in a day.

Dairy cows are milked twice a day. Each group of students got to see the process demonstrated by Jitterbug and Toews, who explained she was using a milking claw on the cow’s udder.

Even though Jitterbug has a light brown coat of hair, the students knew she doesn’t produce chocolate milk. “It’s going to be white,” they said with conviction.

Jitterbug and Toews are based in Newton and take their show on the road across Kansas and into parts of Nebraska and Missouri.

“At the end of her day in the mobile classroom, I give Jitterbug a treat. An Oreo cookie–she loves those,” Toews told the crowd.

Still no chocolate milk, though.