By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
WITH a splash of paint and a home among the vegies Berwick Primary School’s newest member needs a name.
The special delivery had everyone talking, assistant principal Andrew Horsburgh said.
“We packaged the cow in a giant box, and when it mysteriously appeared, it generated incredible interest; we had an unveiling ceremony in front of the whole school which was very exciting,” he said.
The life-size fibre glass cow is a part of Dairy Australia’s Picasso Cows program, which aims to help children learn about the health and nutritional benefits of milk, cheese and yogurt along with the dairy industry.
Berwick Primary School is one of 10 Melbourne schools participating in the project this year.
“This week the whole school is involved in deciding on what the name of the cow will be, students are able to make their name suggestions via the straw of the giant milk carton,” Mr Horsburgh said.
The Picasso Cows program, now in its seventh year, has given the schools three themes: ‘unbeatable bones,’ ‘fuel for life’ and ‘farm to plate’ for creative inspiration.
Mr Horsburgh said a select group of Grade 5 students will get to paint their new friend during a combination of school time and lunch time. On Wednesday 29 July, the 10 schools will be judged on their cow as well as their written journal and what they’ve learnt from the experience.
The wining school will be given $250 in prize money from Dairy Australia. Project manager at Dairy Australia Emily Barnes said the program was designed to help schools explore the entire grass-to-glass process and kept the learning fun creative.
“It is surprising the number of kids who have no idea how milk gets from the cow to the supermarket or think that yogurt actually grows on trees,” Ms Barnes said.
The 10 Melbourne schools will join a total of 83 primary schools participating in the Picasso Cows program nationwide.
