Cows, jumpropes and more!

Last Thursday, Thirkill Elementary had the twin pleasure of a jump rope assembly with Proform Airborne, who brought in a troupe of world-class athletes to demonstrate their skills.  Later in the day, the second grade classes held their annual Dairy event, where students got a chance to learn about how dairies work, how cheese is made, and how many cow jokes Principal Worthington can make.  The answer to the latter has not been determined yet, because he is probably still telling them. 

The following day, interested students from all over were invited to the Community School “Fitness Friday,” which saw Proform Airborne return for a hands-on workshop with students.

Proform Airborne is based in Idaho Falls, and trains athletes interested in jump roping skills for competitive jumping.  Head coach Monica Foster has been visiting Soda Springs to put on the assembly for a number of years, and the event is always highly anticipated by the students. Her tewam travels all around the country and even internationally to compete.  Members of the team, including Gage Twitchell who helped with the Soda Springs event, have won gold medals at the World Championships (last year held in Kawasaki).

The group of athletes spent the assembly discussing and demonstrating jump roping, as well as fitness in general.  The overall message encouraged students to believe in their abilities and to pursue the interests they had, as well as to find ways to stay active.

Friday’s followup event, hosted by Bonnie Speas and Cohlee Winward, gave students a chance to try out some of the techniques demonstrated the day before, and ask questions of the jumpers.

One of the most popular days on the second grade calendar for Thirkill Elementary in Soda Springs took place last week as well, as excited second grade students of Cheryl Harris, DaNeil Bybee, and Alison Allen learned about how dairy farms operate, how milk and milk products are produced, and the science of cheese making.

Cheryl Harris' class learned about what happens on a dairy farm.

 Mrs. Harris has worked with the Farm Bureau in the past, and as a result has been able to corral the Bureau’s demonstration milk cow into the school for the past eleven or so years.  The cow was modified from its original size to be able to fit through the school doors, but is still an imposing simulacrum of a dairy cow, complete with a functional udder that dispenses water into a milking bucket below.  According to information presented by the second grade teachers, it takes approximately 345 squirts to produce a gallon of milk.  Further, it takes about 10 pounds of milk to make a pound of cheese, 21 pounds of milk to make a pound of butter, and 12 pounds of milk to make a single gallon of ice cream.

While states like Wisconsin and Vermont might get more glory in the dairy world, the fact is that Idaho is fourth in the country as far as milk production, and an astonishing third in cheese production.    

Many of the students had experience with farms and farm work directly, but even those who did not were eager to learn and talk about what goes on in a dairy farm.  Mrs. Harris presented a slide show exploring the daily routines of dairy farmers, from feeding and care through the milking and packaging portions of the process.

In the other second grade rooms, students practiced milking the practice cow, and then shaking cream to make butter.