Its a good idea, because the basic concept of mammalian behavior is lost in
the odd discomfiture that Americans seem to feel when talking about milk
production.  I used to take little plastic animals into my kids kindergarten
classes when they had the Mammal Unit. " Here is a mama cow.  She makes milk
for her little calf." (Holding calf to cow and making slurping noises)  Then
I'd show horse and colt, and whatever else I could use -- pictures etc of
other animals.  Then I'd show pictures of mothers nursing babies, and talk
about how people could also make their little babies healthy, happy and full
by making their own milk.  I'd talk about how funny it would be to see a cow
nursing a piglet (standing on a little ladder)  or whatever, and how every
mama made the best milk for her own baby.  There was always a lot of laughter
and interruptions where the kids would tell about their kittens or their baby
brother or whatever.

Oddly, the schools were more nervous about mammals at the middle school
level.  I heard of a Health Fair at one of my girl's middle school.  I called
to invite myself and was told that my subject was a little "too mature" for
the tweens.  "Wait a minute," I said.  "You have the AIDS booth, and Planned
Parenthood is putting condoms on cukes and I can't come to talk about
breastfeeding!!!"  They said they'd get back to me.  Long story shortened, I
went.  The tweens flocked to other booths -- no embarrassment.  My booth (I
chose very discrete pictures and pamphlets -- no skin showing) they circled
warily at a 5-8 foot radius.  Every so often a kid would break loose, dart in
to ask or telll me something.  One  12 yo  got up his nerve and asked me:
 "What exactly is this all about?"  "Well, we're mammals.  You know.  We can
make milk in our breasts to feed our young."  The kid looked totally shocked.
 "No!" he sputtered.  Then he blurted out, "But isn't that gross?"  "No
dear,"  I told him.  "You have this confused with something else."  So much
for biology instruction at the middle school level.

I taught the human sex. psych class last week, and tho most of the 14 class
members had been bfed (one til she was 4) the vast majority were "grossed
out" on my pre-test at the concept of seeing a woman bfg in public.  I stick
with my conviction that there are some confused thoughts about bfg being
connected not just with sexual activity but with excretory activity.  We may,
in this country, have more taboos concerning the latter.  To help exorcise
this fear that seeing a productive breast is gross, I always show a video of
hand express. or a slide of a breast dripping milk.  Then people have at last
"seen it" and they didn't die from shock or get sick, and they can then admit
that its interesting.
Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSE, IBCLC
Austin, Tx