• pH is everything!
• Proteins made simple
• Bacteria made simple
• “Ripening” milk & adding rennet
• Coagulation
• Cutting & stirring
• Hooping
• Draining
• Flipping

This is a fun workshop for kids that allows young people to see and feel the process of cheese making. It is a bit of fun science, some essential tools, and the tactile experience of feeling warm milk become firm, cutting curd, stirring and ‘hooping’ –when we transfer curds into forms and allow the whey to drain. Each workshop will process brie cheese.

Kids will also get a chance to view and taste different cheese as we discuss the major cheese classes, and what makes them all so different. We’ll have a holy roller (Swiss type), limburger, blue, and some cream cheese with crackers.
Participants will be given a Young Canadian Certificate in Cheese Making.

Workshop for Kids: Schedule
The milk in the vat will be already pre-ripened and dosed with rennet 10 minutes before the workshop starts

WASH HANDS! SANITIZE HANDS! Wear those hairnets and plastic aprons.

1. We will be looking for a floc test together, and play “spin the wheel.” Once the wheel stops spinning, we set a timer for cut time in 30 minutes.
2. We talk about why the wheel stopped spinning and introduce the “Casein Kid,” a protein who sticks to water buddies with his hairs just to fit in. But he just doesn’t feel like he’s sticking to his own true friends.
3. We talk about the “Casein Kid” and how he gets a haircut with help from the “Rennet Dude,” and how he is able to attach to other “Casein Kids” and form the coolest, strongest bonds. These guys hold hands forever now, forming long chains and making webs. Soon they are able to catch “Fats” and “Minerals.” But what about the water?
4. Discussion and tasting of different cheeses (soft, medium, hard, bloomy rind, processed cheese) with gluten-free crackers. We are making camembert and kids will have a chance to see the finished product.
5. What is the pH of milk? What is the pH of cheese vat? Is there a difference?
6. Talk about lactic acid bacteria or LABs. Smell a glass of ripened milk (smells sour!). Test the pH of the milk which will be about pH 4.3 – 5.0.

READY TO CUT!

1. Kids will be encouraged to run a finger into the coagulated milk in the VAT and see how it feels silky and solid, like tofu.
2. Cut with HARPS into squares. What is the water called? WHEY!
3. Each kid will have their own camembert basket. They will HOOP their cheese, filling it with curd and placeit on a rack.
4. Discussion about whey; discussion about solids.
5. Test store-bought cow milk in the milk analyzer (% protein, % milk fat) and see if the milk fat matches.
6. Test the milk we used for our cheese (% protein, % milk fat) and see if the milk fat matches (it won’t because we used water buffalo milk!).

FLIP!

1. The kids will each flip their own cheese carefully.
2. Kids can leave now with an option to come and flip their cheese in 30 minutes. It will be much firmer and look like a small round of cheese now!