MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis teacher Tricia Case knows that "Zoom fatigue" can set in for the students who are trying to focus on her lesson through a screen.
So on Wednesday, she set up a fun moo-ment for her kindergarteners and first graders at Bryn Mawr Elementary. Their Google Meet class was interrupted by Molly the calf, and her dairy farmer Charles Krause.
The students, visibly delighted by their adorable visitor, asked a lot of piercing questions like, "Is this a real cow?" "How do they get the milk out of the cow?" "Do the cows have birthdays?"
In fact, Farmer Krause informed them, one year for a cow is equivalent to eight human years. The adult cows produce about 12 gallons of milk per day, and one particular cow introduced to the students weighed in at 1,500 pounds.
"She's a very big cow," Krause said.
The visit was coordinated by Kemps. They're arranging "virtual field trips" across the country, partnering with Dairy Farmers of America to educate students about where milk comes from.
Krause, who runs Krause Holsteins family farm, has 275 dairy cows that provide milk to Minneapolis and the surrounding area. He also made a virtual visit to Oak Point Elementary School in Eden Prairie on Thursday.