ST. LOUIS (April 14, 2020) – As families search for new ways to make learning fun while practicing social distancing, The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) offers activities that teach children the importance of minerals in our everyday lives.

“Minerals are a part of every manufactured product we use daily,” stated Tammy Stankey, director of communications at Doe Run. “As a mineral producer and recycler, we often facilitate these activities with students in a classroom setting. With Missouri schools presently closed due to COVID-19, we are sharing our resources online to give families something fun, interactive and educational to do indoors.”

One of the most popular activities is “Cookie Mining.” This activity utilizes chocolate chip cookies, common cake decorating materials, 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 – they want to purchase. Next they choose the type of mining equipment – a toothpick or paper clip – they wish to use. 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 – with help from their parents – can make and flavor their own toothpaste. Both of these activities are made available by the Women in Mining Educational Foundation and can be found on Doe Run’s website at http://doerundev.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 one of the world’s largest, single-site lead recycling centers, located in Boss, Missouri, and mines from one of the world’s largest lead mining districts, also in Missouri. 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 www.doerun.com.

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