Classroom science for ages 6 to 9
Baby mammals and their microbes
Five hands-on activities that take your class on a journey from the kingdoms of life to mammals, milk and the tiny microbes that live in our gut.
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- 5Hands-on activities
building step by step - 1 hr 20 min
or 5 shorter sessions - 6 short videos
to play in class - Slides, notes
and printable sheets
Why teach children about milk?
Breastmilk is more than just food! It contains special cells that help protect babies from germs, helpful bacteria, and tiny sugars that feed good bacteria in a baby's tummy.
Children already learn about living things and how babies grow. This lesson adds an important piece of that story, and helps make breastfeeding a normal part of it.
Ready to try it with your class?
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Developed by Dr Meghan Azad and Bridget McGann at the University of Manitoba, with the Science Art and Writing Trust.
These resources are free for educational use. © 2026 Science Art and Writing Trust and University of Manitoba. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: you can share and adapt them for non-commercial teaching, as long as you credit us and share any changes under the same licence.
