Year 6 students Tag Hansen, Dale Nockolds, Charlotte Gavin, San Ritchie and Sakura Aihara.
Camera IconYear 6 students Tag Hansen, Dale Nockolds, Charlotte Gavin, San Ritchie and Sakura Aihara. Credit: Supplied/Martin Kennealey www.communitypix.com.au d435710

Milking the occasion

Emma ClaytonMelville Gazette

Equipped with plenty of paint, glue and other decorations, students have embarked on a 12-week program to transform the blank cow "canvas" into a dairy-related piece of artwork, tracking their experiences along the way in a learning journal.

It is part of Dairy Australia's annual Picasso Cows program, now in its seventh year, which aims to teach kids about dairy foods and Australia's dairy industry.

The 10 Perth schools involved will adopt one of three themes "Unbeatable Bones," "Fuel for Life" or "Farm to Plate" - and once their masterpieces are complete, will compete for a slice of the program's total prize pool.

Dairy Australia project manager Emily Barnes said most of the schools in the 2015 Picasso Cows program were in metropolitan locations and knowledge of farming and regional life was limited for the students.

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"It is surprising the number of kids who have no idea how milk gets from the cow to the supermarket, or think that yoghurt actually grows on trees," Ms Barnes said.

"This program is designed to help schools explore the entire grass-to- glass process and keep the learning fun and creative.

"The program also serves up key nutrition messages for primary school students at an age when healthy lifestyle habits can be established."