Hands-on Activities Teach Local Students About Minerals and Mining
To support local STEM education, The Doe Run Company is providing classrooms with curriculum and materials to teach children about the many ways minerals are used in our everyday lives.
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Many people don't realize that minerals are a part of every manufactured product we use daily. That's one reason why The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) is providing local teachers with curriculum and materials that teach children about the ways minerals are used in our everyday lives.
"We want young students in our local schools to understand the importance of mining and minerals, which have shaped our region for hundreds of years," said Tammy Stankey, director of communications at Doe Run. "By providing these activities and materials to teachers, we hope it gives them a fun, educational lesson that enhances their usual science curriculum, while perhaps also inspiring children to pursue a career in mining."
Doe Run packaged kits containing instructions for two minerals-themed activities and a gift card to purchase the materials needed to complete them. They have been distributed to classrooms at Iron County C-4 Elementary, Kingston Elementary, Lesterville Elementary and Salem Upper Elementary. Doe Run is working to bring the kits to other local school districts too.
One of the activities is "Cookie Mining," which utilizes chocolate chip cookies, toothpicks, paper clips and graph paper to teach children about mining. Children take on the role of a miner by first selecting the 'mine' – a cookie – that they want to purchase. Next, they choose the type of mining equipment they wish to use, either a toothpick or paper clip. After mining their cookie for its chocolate chips, children must 'reclaim' the leftover cookie. Finally, they tally up the "value" of their mined chips and subtract the costs they incurred.
A second hands-on activity is called "Toothpaste with a Twist," in which children can make and flavor their own toothpaste. This exercise shows students how minerals are essential ingredients in maintaining good oral hygiene.
Both activities are made available by the Women in Mining Educational Foundation and can be found on Doe Run's website at https://doerun.com/our-communities/minerals-education/. Additional activities from the Women in Mining Educational Foundation are available at https://www.womeninmining.org/activities/.
About The Doe Run Company
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, The Doe Run Company is a privately held natural resources company and a global provider of lead, copper and zinc concentrates. Dedicated to environmentally responsible mineral and metal production, Doe Run operates the Resource Recycling facility, one of the world's largest, single-site lead recycling centers, located in Boss, Missouri. The company also owns six operating mines in one of the world's largest lead mining districts, also in Missouri: Brushy Creek, Buick, Casteel, Fletcher/West Fork, Mine 29/Viburnum and Sweetwater. The Doe Run Company and its subsidiaries deliver products and services necessary to provide power, protection and convenience. Doe Run has operations in Missouri, Washington and Arizona. For more information, visit http://www.doerun.com.
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Media Contact
Maggie Donnelly, Standing Partnership, +1 (314) 807-9455, [email protected]
SOURCE The Doe Run Company
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