The class began with a review in the types of goats, as well as a discussion specifically on dairy. The kids talked about different dairy foods, and we even talked about dairy allergies and intolerance. After coloring a sheet that helped us remember the term "kid" for a baby goat, the class learned how butter is made.
We had discussed last week how cream floats to the top of cow milk, but is more difficult to separate with goat milk. Today, we used heavy cream to make butter. Because it takes so long to shake the containers, I decided to kick it up a notch... with a dance party. Once we added some loud music to the room, it wasn't hard AT ALL to shake it! We shook them high... We shook them low... We shook them until we all had BUTTER! The kids each added their own salt and took their butter home to share with their families.
Once we were good and exhausted, the class had a snack and listened to me read the book, Beatrice's Goat. This is a true story of a family in Uganda whose lives improved after receiving the gift of a goat. Last year, our program collected money to send farm animals to a needy family in Africa. I explained the charity to the class, and then shared with them the story of Beatrice. We have students in class who have brothers and sisters who were adopted from African countries, as well as students who come from Africa, themselves. I loved hearing the stories of these adoptions! The class has such an amazing understanding of the needs of others around the world!
After a quick romp in the yard, the class then made (and ate) frozen yogurt! There are so many yummy ways to end a lesson on dairy!
The class did a wonderful job with this week's writing assignment. They each wrote about times that they have been, or someone they know has been, grumpy. There were great resolutions to the stories, and excellent tips and tricks for us to discuss. I explained that our attitude is OUR choice. Sometimes, bad or frustrating things happen to us. Although we cannot control these things, we CAN control our attitude and behavior. Actually, it's imperative for our social and emotional well-being that we do so! Thank you, "Grumpy Goat", for giving us such a great lesson this week!
Finally, the class ended with the completion of the kids' crazy collage project. This was supposed to be completely unstructured and free-form. With so much structure in their days, and in our lessons, I wanted to give them an opportunity to create a goat picture that was completely their own! We used sequins, glitter, yarn, colored paper, and many other materials to create the masterpieces!
I cannot say enough about how wonderful these groups of students have been! I cannot wait to meet again for our next workshop: Turkeys and Guineas!
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