SANDSTON—Make room guinea pigs and hamsters, there’s a new classroom pet—one that offers educational experiences with a side of real farm life.

The Dairy Alliance and Discover Dairy joined together to offer the free Adopt a Cow program. It gives students a firsthand look inside a real dairy farm and an opportunity to learn about the source of a nutritious beverage—all without cleaning pens or taking care of a 100-pound calf.

“I’m always looking for something different to keep my kids engaged,” said Suzan Quesenberry, a fifth grade teacher at Henrico County’s Cashell Donahoe Elementary School. “I find the more I can connect real life with them, the more they want to learn.”

Quesenberry has participated in Adopt a Cow for the past four years. Last year, the program paired her with a calf from a Virginia dairy farm, and throughout the year, she and her students received photos, videos, lessons, activities and updates on the class cow.

“(Students) get excited when there’s a new update,” Quesenberry said. “They love to see how much our calf has grown. The farm will send pictures, tell you about the farm, how much the calf weighs, when it was born and introduce the farm family. Last year we had a family with kids that were the same age as my fifth graders, so it really made a connection with them.”

The program also hosts a Q&A with the farmers and a virtual farm visit—something that was helpful for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quesenberry said her students are curious to learn “how milk gets from the cow to us here at school.” That leads to conversations about the importance of agriculture and lessons about students’ other favorite foods, like chicken nuggets and eggs.

“They don’t always associate these animals with the sources of their food if they’ve never been around them or really seen it before,” she explained.

“This is a great cross-curriculum project,” said Tammy Maxey, executive director for Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom, which has promoted the program. “Teachers can use the content for language arts, reading and science instruction as well. It’s a great avenue to give children an understanding and appreciation of how dairy farming positively impacts their lives.”

According to Discover Dairy, the Adopt a Cow program has impacted more than 800,000 students worldwide. The program is free, and schools and educators from any area can enroll; that ensures the lessons reach urban and rural schools across demographics.

To learn more about the Adopt a Cow program, visit discoverdairy.com/adopt-a-cow.

Media: Contact Quesenberry at 804-357-2723 or Maxey at 804-290-1143.