The Butter Museum in Cork has announced the launch of a new suite of learning resources designed to help children explore Ireland’s rich history of butter-making and dairy heritage both in the classroom, at the museum and (for local schools) via a walking tour of Cork.

The project, funded by the Golden Jubilee Trust, set out to discover how schools can bring the story of butter to life - both during visits to the Butter Museum and back in the classroom.

Through a series of experiments, workshops, and follow-up activities with schools in Ardfield and Barryroe in west Cork, and North Presentation Primary School in Cork city, the museum explored how children could make butter in the classroom, learn about the history of dairying, and investigate their own local heritage.

Butter history

The Butter Museum’s new online resources - launching today (Wednesday, November 19) - include: detailed resources to support a pre-visit butter-making activity; worksheets for use during museum visits; and guidance for teachers to explore history, folklore and historical geography via digital enquiry-based learning back in the classroom.

These materials aim to encourage primary school pupils to connect with the past while understanding food production and community heritage in modern Ireland.

The Golden Jubilee Trust said: “The Board of the Golden Jubilee Trust was delighted to support such a worthy project, reflecting the importance of the dairy industry to Ireland, in particular the special place that the butter production holds in rural Ireland.”

Chair of the board of The Butter Museum Michelle Cashman said: “This gem of a museum provides wonderful educational opportunities for children and adults alike.

"Free to schools during the winter months, it covers most areas of the curriculum, especially for primary schools.

The museum provides follow-up activities to support the opportunities for further exploration anywhere in Ireland – offering a range of topics related to the imprint of the history of dairying on the world.

Key learning aims of the project include:

Understanding how butter is made;
Exploring the history and material culture of dairy farming and butter-making in Ireland;
Learning about the work of historians and the role of the Butter Museum in preserving and sharing this heritage;
Engaging with local dairy history through exploring a range of online resources that help students to understand the impact dairy farming and butter making where they live.

The Butter Museum welcomes free school visits during the winter months (November-March), offering an engaging introduction to Ireland’s dairying story at the heart of Cork city’s historic Butter Exchange.