Butter Making
Target Grade Level / Age Range:
K-2
Time:
30 minutes
Purpose:
Students will learn about the source of dairy products and how butter is made. This fun activity
will have them curious about dairy cows and start the scientific inquiry process.
Materials:
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Cream (fresh or whipping), 1.5 oz per student
Table salt, ¼ teaspoon per student
Baby food jars or other small plastic containers with tight sealing lids
Yellow food coloring (optional), 2-3 drops per student
Loaf of bread or box of crackers
Butter knife
Napkins
Suggested Companion Resources
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Life on a Dairy Farm by Judy Wolfman
Vocabulary
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Cow – an adult female bovine (cow) that has had a calf and produces milk
Heifer – a young female that has not had a calf yet
Bull – an adult male bovine (cow)
Butterfat – the natural fat of milk that is the main component of butter
Protein – a component of dairy products that helps keep muscles and body tissues strong and
healthy.
Whey – a natural high-quality protein found in milk that contains all the essential amino acids –
or building blocks – your body needs to be healthy.
Cream – cream is the layer that rises to the top of milk. It is higher in butterfat, and is what
butter is made from.
Interest Approach or Motivator
Students will get to make and eat their own butter while learning about the cows that produce
it.
Background – Agricultural Connections
Butter has been a huge part of the American diet for a very long time! Butter comes from milk
that dairy cows produce. On a typical dairy farm, cows are milked 2-3 times per day. The milk is never
touched by human hands until it is opened after being purchased at a grocery store. This is made
possible by mechanical milking machines that imitate a calf suckling, and mechanized processing from
farm to final product.
The biggest dairy producing states are California and Wisconsin, because there is plenty of
rolling land for cows to graze on.
Procedures
1. Read Life on a Dairy Farm with students. Discuss what a typical dairy farm would be like, and
how dairy farmers care for their cattle. Some processing questions could include:
a. What are some ways the farmer cares for his dairy cattle every day?
b. What has to happen before a cow can be milked?
c. What are some of the specific duties that Robert Hershey and his dad complete every
day?
d. What kinds of food do the cows on this farm eat?
e. What do these farmers do to make sure their cows are comfortable?
f. How do farmers work with the cow’s life cycle to make milk?
g. How do dairy farmers make sure that the milk stays safe to drink?
h. How do these dairy farmers use technology to farm?
2. Pour cream, salt and yellow food coloring into an individual jar for every student.
3. Have student shake the jars until a ball of butter begins to form at the top. This will take 5-20
minutes with vigorous shaking. Shaking agitates the fat molecules in the cream, which clump
together to make butter!
a. Before butter was made in factories, like it is today, people made butter from cream
using a butter churn. Churns had a rotating arm inside a barrel that would agitate the
fat molecules in the butter, just like shaking it does.
b. Today, butter is made by machines that age and agitate the cream on their own. The
“How It’s Made: Butter” video shows this process in a butter factory!
4. Slice the loaf of bread and share it with students, allowing them to try their homemade butter.
Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents)
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How It’s Made: Butter video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwb2uZLSLhw
Did you know? (Ag facts)
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A cow produces an average of 6.3 gallons of milk daily and 350,000 glasses of milk in a lifetime.
Cows eat about 100 pounds of food every day and drink 50 gallons of water.
Butter is a good source of Vitamin A, which promotes strong bones and healthy skin.
Butter can be slightly yellow because of the natural pigment carotene, which comes from a
cow’s diet. However, most butter is white and yellow food coloring is added to get the color you
are more familiar with.
o Historical note: margarine was originally dyed yellow to differentiate it from butter and
when it was first produced in Wisconsin margarine was taxed differently than butter.
After a while people became accustom to the yellow color and both butter and
margarine were dyed yellow.
The average cow will produce 70 lbs (8 gallons) of milk per day.
A milking dairy cow will drink 30-50 gallons of water a day.
Extension Activities
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Invite a dairy farmer to the classroom to talk with students about the life of a dairy cow, how
farmers care for their animals, and the role of a farmer.
Sources/Credits
Author(s)
Tracie Philllips
Organization Affiliation
Humboldt County Agriculture in the Classroom
Agriculture Literacy Outcomes
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Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber, & Energy Outcomes, K-2, Science: Identify animals involved
in agricultural production and their uses (i.e., work, meat, dairy, eggs)
Culture, Society, Economy & Geography Outcomes, K-2, Social Studies: Trace the sources of
agricultural products (plant or animal) used daily
Culture, Society, Economy & Geography Outcomes, K-2, Social Studies Discuss what a farmer
does
Education Content Standards
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Common Core Connections
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S.K–2.SI.2 Essential Concept and/or Skill: Plan and conduct simple investigations.
21.K–2.ES.4 Essential Concept and/or Skill: Develop initiative and demonstrate self–direction in
activities.
21.K–2.ES.5 Essential Concept and/or Skill: Work productively and are accountable for their
actions.