How to Engage Youth in Animal By-Products Lessons

Learning about market animal products and by-products is important agricultural knowledge.  Oftentimes, our youth do not realize the items they use, clothes they wear, and foods they consume come from an agricultural product.

Our "Everything But The" materials are a visual way to help guide youth through learning these important facts!

Before you download the links, learn more about how to engage your kids in learning the information.

The accompanying worksheets help youth to recall and process their learning by testing their knowledge. You can also help them learn by using these 10 youth engagement activities.

10 ways to engage youth in learning the information:

1. Have youth find 3 things around the house that may have been made from either a cow or chicken.
2. If you have feather pillows at home, have your child feel through the fabric for the stalk or rachis of the feathers.
3. Are there leather shoes in the house?  Have youth find them and test their knowledge by asking which animal the leather may have come from.
4. Having meat for dinner?  Can your child name the animal source?  Can they name the part of the animal it may have come from?
5. Do you have artist brushes at home?  Have youth feel the texture and explain how it feels to them when they touch it.  Which animal was the brush bristles made from?
6. Have pets in the home?  Have youth look at the ingredients and find the ones that come from animals.
7. Anyone in the house a tennis player or play a string instrument?  Have them research which animal the string were made from. 
8. Nail files?  If you have them around, have youth feel them and tell you which animal by-product was used to make them.
9. Do your kids have chalkboards at home?  The chalk contains an animal by-product.  Can they name which one?
10. Footballs, soccer balls, baseballs!  What by-product make the outer layer?  Are there other by-products used to make the inside of the sports equipment?

Engaging youth with seek and find activities is fun for both them and you!  It is a great way you can help them learn the material, which helps them to retain the information.  Our homes are truly full of Everything But The Moo, Oink, Baa, Bleat, and Cluck!

Access the Everything But the....series of resources. Navigate to Teaching Materials/Animal Science.