National Dairy Month is a great time to increase your daily servings of dairy. This is an especially beneficial time for children to increase their intake of dairy, as the health benefits that dairy provides will help them in this rapid phase of growth in their life. Educate children on the importance of dairy, and how it is healthful for them in building strong bones. Though they should get 3 servings of dairy a day, it does not have to be of the same dairy product. Fill them in on the wide range of dairy products they can eat to reap the benefits. Here are some free printouts that children can color in during June, National Dairy Month.
This printout is a picture of three children making whipped cream. Inform children that whipped cream is a treat to be consumed as sparsely as ice cream. However, let them know that it is not just available in the store, it can be made by using a beater or a whisk to whip air into whipping cream.
www.hellokids.com/c_5755/coloring/family-people-and-jobs-coloring-pages/cooking-and-chef-coloring-pages/little-chefs-making-whipped-cream-coloring-page
This is a printout of a yogurt container. Make it a lesson and provide information of all the flavors and fruit mixable yogurt in the supermarket. Have the artists draw their favorite fruit right on the container of yogurt or color the container the color of the fruit. This makes the idea of yogurt much more appealing than a plain yogurt container.
homeschooling.about.com/library/nfeb6ccolor.htm
Inform children who probably don’t know about cheese fondue. I’m sure they will be delighted of the news that small pieces of food can be dipped into a bowl of melted cheese. This is a fun and interesting way to get in a serving of dairy.
www.lucylearns.com/images/cheese-fondue-recipe-coloring-page-cheese-1.gif
This is a printout of a mouse eating cheese. Humans aren’t the only species who enjoy their dairy.
www.lucylearns.com/images/mouse-nibbling-swiss-cheese-picture-coloring-page-1.gif
Instead of drawing a dairy product, have a child draw a picture of the source. This coloring printout is of a dairy cow. Inform children of where dairy comes from, and how milk is extracted from the udders of cows, made safe for us to drink, and then bottled and delivered to our grocery stores.
www.lucylearns.com/images/cow-coloring-pages-cow-coloring-picture-1.gif
Macaroni and cheese is a yummy option for including dairy in the diet. Inform children that some boxed versions of macaroni and cheese do not provide adequate amounts of dairy because they are made from powdered cheese that use artificial ingredients. Making macaroni and cheese from scratch is a better option for making sure the dairy they are getting is real dairy.
http://www.lucylearns.com/images/picture-of-macaroni-and-cheese-coloring-sheet-1.gif
The cheese sandwich. With this printout, provide information about eating cheese with meals. A grilled cheese, or cheese on your sandwich is a great way to incorporate cheese into your lunch. Inform children of the serving size of cheese, which is 1 – 1.5 oz of cheese.
www.lucylearns.com/images/cheese-sandwich-picture-coloring-page-with-food.1.gif
Here is a coloring page of an ice cream cone. Remind children that ice cream is a treat, and is high in fat and sugar. Though it is dairy, let them know that low fat frozen yogurt is a more healthful option.
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/ice_cream_cone_coloring_page.pdf
For the child that likes cheese:
www.youthonline.ca/coloringcorner/color/xcheese.html
Here is a coloring page of a milk carton. Tell children that there are a variety of milks available to drink. Inform them of the benefits of drinking skim and 1% fat milks, but don’t rule out the 2% and whole milk options.
www.activityvillage.co.uk/milk_coloring_page.pdf
