Dairy Facts

Learn where dairy foods come from, why calcium matters, how much kids need, and fun ways to explore dairy in the kitchen. This page also includes a hands-on homemade butter science activity.

Fun Dairy Facts

All dairy products come from milk.
Dairy products include milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Calcium from dairy helps support bones and teeth.
Dairy foods can be eaten fresh, baked, cooked, or turned into science activities like butter making.

Why Dairy Matters

Dairy products provide calcium, and calcium is especially important for women and children. The original page highlights that calcium helps strengthen bones, helps prevent osteoporosis later in life, and helps keep mouths healthy.

Parent Note: If a child does not like milk or cheese, it can help to look for other foods that provide calcium and to keep introducing dairy in different ways.

Daily Calcium Needs

Kids' Daily Calcium Needs

Birth to 6 months: 210 mg
6 to 12 months: 270 mg
1 to 3 years old: 500 mg
4 to 8 years old: 800 mg
9 to 18 years old: 1,300 mg

What Counts as One Serving of Dairy or Calcium-Rich Foods?

Dairy products including cheese and milk carton

The original page lists many examples of foods that count as a dairy or calcium-rich serving.

Fruit or plain yogurt
1 cup orange juice with added calcium
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup soybeans
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup tofu with added calcium
1 slice cheese pizza
1 stalk raw broccoli
1 cup cooked broccoli
1 cup bok choy
1/2 cup cooked spinach
1/2 cup frozen yogurt
1 cup macaroni and cheese
1 ounce almonds
1 tortilla, corn or flour

Some Foods That Include Dairy

Ice cream
Frozen yogurt
Milk-based pudding
Hard and soft cheeses
Cream cheese
Cottage cheese
Plain or flavored yogurt
Yogurt drinks
Milk, soy milk, and flavored milk

Learn more about Food Trivia

How to Make Homemade Butter

Pour about 1 tablespoon of whipping cream that has been warmed to room temperature into a small jar.
Put the lid on tightly.
Shake the jar continuously. Take turns with family members or friends.
Keep shaking until the cream first turns thick like whipped cream, then forms into a ball of butter.
Pour off the extra liquid and add a little salt if desired.

This is a fun kitchen science activity because kids can watch a liquid change into a solid through movement. The original page explains that shaking forces the fat molecules in the cream to bump together until they form butter, while the remaining liquid becomes buttermilk.

Science Tip: This is a great way to show kids that physical movement can change food structure.

Making Butter Science Results: When you shake the jar, you are forcing the fat molecules in the cream to bump into each other repeatedly. Cream is an emulsion, which means tiny fat droplets are suspended in liquid. As the jar is shaken, the protective membranes around the fat droplets break and the fat begins to stick together. This process is called churning. As more fat droplets join together, they form a solid clump of butter and separate from the watery liquid, which is buttermilk. This simple experiment helps kids see how physical movement can change the structure of food and turn a liquid into a solid.

Mini Activity

Compare Dairy Textures

Look at milk, yogurt, shredded cheese, and butter.
Talk about how each one feels and looks different.
Notice which are liquid, soft, or solid.
Discuss how all of them started from milk.

This is a simple way to help kids see how one food source can turn into many different foods.

More Food Fact Resources

More Dairy Ideas

How to Make Yogurt

Learn how milk and live cultures work together to make homemade yogurt.

How to Make Cottage Cheese

See how milk changes into curds in another fun food science activity.

Food Science Experiments

Explore more kitchen chemistry and edible science projects.

Homemade Ice Cream

Recipes for making homemade ice cream.

Videos

Cottage Cheese Breakfast Video

Dairy Video

Dairy Facts FAQ

Where do dairy products come from?

Dairy products come from milk. Dairy products include milk, cheese, and yogurt.

Why do kids need dairy or calcium?

Calcium helps strengthen bones, helps prevent osteoporosis later in life, and helps keep mouths healthy.

What foods count as dairy or calcium-rich foods?

Examples include milk, yogurt, cheese, frozen yogurt, pudding, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, cheese pizza, and some calcium-rich foods like broccoli, bok choy, tofu with added calcium, and almonds.