Kids
Cone Caravan Caper
BALLY (Berks Co.) The
first-ever Ice Cream Cone Scoop
ing and Building Relay Race was
held recently at St. Francis Acad
emy, in Bally.
The race pitted students
against teachers and was part of
the school's annual Dairy Day
celebration. Each team built, one
scoop at a time, five ice cream
cones five scoops high using Tur
key Hill ice cream on Dairy
Queen cones. Each participant
dashed 50-feet from start to
scoop and back the same 50-feet
to pass the cone to the next team
mate.
The day began with a presen
tation by Cindy Bray, the newly
crowned Berks County Dairy
Princess. Portraying lunch box
inspector Trooper Bray, she re
Children’s Day At
Indian Steps Museum
YORK (York Co.) On July
16, the Conservation Society of
York County will sponsor its
third annual Children’s Day,
from noon to 4 p.m. on the
grounds of Indian Steps Museum
along the Susquehanna River.
There will be craft making for
children (25' per craft), a fairy
hunt, story telling, flute playing,
and probably more surprises.
The York Area Pet Bird Club
will also be on hand to talk to the
public and show the proper han
dling and training of pet birds.
Feeding Livestock:
Don’t Take Job Lightly
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Feeding livestock is not a
job that should be taken lightly,
particularly for children, said a
farm safety expert in Penn
State’s College of Agricultural
Sciences.
Farmers can assign appropri
ate farm tasks to their children
using the newly developed North
American Guidelines to Chil
dren’s Agricultural Tasks (NAG
CAT), said Dennis Murphy, pro
fessor of agricultural
engineering.
“Distributing feed to animals
may seem like one of the easier
farm chores, but in reality, there
are several serious safety issues,”
Murphy said.
Hay feed often is stored above
the livestock area, which may re
quire children to climb on unpro
tected or rickety ladders. In addi
tion. square bales of hay weigh
between 40 and 60 pounds and
can be unwieldy to lift for chil
dren as well as adults, causing
missteps and poor footing.
“The bale should weigh no
more than 15 percent of a child’s
body weight,” Murphy said.
"The child should have to carry
the bale no more than 10 or 15
yards during the job. If the dis
tance is greater or the bale
weighs more, an adult should
carry the bale or cut it into small
er sections.”
Hay bales also are held togeth
er by twine or, occasionally, wire.
Children should wear leather
gloves and receive training in
using wire cutters and safety
glasses. “Wire can spring up and
inflict an eye injury,” Murphy
viewed several lunches noting the
healthy ones and the not so
healthy ones with chips and
sodas. “Dairy Day is an excellent
way for students and adults to
learn about the values of dairy
products while having fun,” she
said after the event.
Event judges included Robin
Melcher, sr. vice president of Na
tional Penn Bank, Donna Hol
stein of Holstein Transport Co.,
Bob Hilbert of Bob Hilbert Co.,
Bob Morrone of Pennsburg Dairy
Queen, Walter Guasp-Santos,
and Dairy Princess Cindy Bray.
Event sponsors included Tur
key Hill Dairy, Pennsburg Dairy
Queen, Bob Hilbert Co., Holstein
Transport, and National Penn
Bank.
Food and refreshments will be
sold and all proceeds from the
event will benefit the museum.
There is no admission for the
event or to the museum, al
though donations are greatly ap
preciated.
Directions to Indian Steps Mu
seum: Take Route 74 south to
Airville, go north on Route 425
to the river, turn right and the
museum is approximately one
mile.
For additional information call
chairperson Falora Holland at
(717)755-3777.
said. “Wire can cut hands, and
twine can give you painful rope
burns if gloves are not used.”
When feeding cows, children
should be wary of any sudden
movement on the part of the ani
mals. Around horses, Murphy
said children should be cautious
of kicks, bites, or unpredictable
movements. “Children never
should be required to enter en
closed pens to feed young horses,
stallions or pregnant or lactating
mares,” he said.
Feeds such as corn or silage
produce dust and silo gases when
stored in a silo. Murphy said
children should be fitted for a
respirator and wear it during
feeding. “Never let a child enter
a silo,” Murphy said.
When feeding cattle, children
always should keep a barrier
preferably a metal stall or stan
chion between the animal and
themselves. If the child is using a
feed cart or wheelbarrow, he or
she should be able to safely push
and effectively steer a fully load
ed cart.
“When cleaning up, make sure
the broom or shovel is the right
size for a child,” Murphy said.
“Large grain shovels can pick up
more weight than some children
can safely handle.”
During feeding chores, chil
dren should wear non-skid shoes
and make sure to wash their
hands before and after the job.
“Always demonstrate how to
feed livestock four or five times
before allowing children to work
by themselves,” Murphy said.
“Always check back on them
every 15 to 30 minutes.”
Korne
First-grade students from St. Francis Academy enjoy a cone of Turkey Hill ice
following fhe school’s annual Dairy Day celebration.
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KIDS GULP MORE MILK
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