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West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training

Classroom Information

Teachers:

The following links have been provided to you as a information source for you and your students.  The West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training feels that coal is of great importance to our state and country.  We invite you to contact us for additional information concerning coal.  We can arrange to have employees visit your classroom and present programs about coal and safety in West Virginia. (See our In the Classroom Pages.) 

Our office has handout materials for the students in the form of activity books.   The following pages from our website may be useful in your classes.  We hope your visit to our site is useful.  For more West Virginia Mining information check out the links below:

West Virginia Coal Facts West Virginia Mine Map Archives
West Virginia Coal Reserves Mining in West Virginia: A Capsule History
West Virginia Mining Statistics (Production and Injury Data Photo Gallery (current and historic WV mining)
West Virginia Coal Facts
 "Stay Out Stay Alive" Child Safety Program
West Virginia Coal Mine Disasters From 1884  

 

Children's Activity Book

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These books are free (while supplies last).  Contact us to order them or to arrange for one of our employees to make a presentation to your class.

 How to Grow a Coal Garden

Materials Needed:
Piece of charcoal briquette/coal or brick
Wide/deep soup bowl or similar dish
6 tbsp. (90ml) laundry bluing
6 tbsp. (90ml) table salt
1 tbsp. (15ml) ammonia
Food Coloring (if desired)

Instructions:

  1. Break up briquette/coal/brick into about 1-2 inch pieces and place in bottom of bowl.
  2. If laundry bluing is liquid is liquid, mix ith 1-2 tbsp. of water.  If bluing is powder, mix with 6 tbsp water.
  3. Add salt and ammonia to laundry bluing.
  4. Pour mixture over pieces in bowl.  You can either sprinkle drops of food coloring over the chunks and mixture now, or wait until the crystals start to grow.
  5. Set the bowl someplace where it won't be disturbed.  The rate that it grows will depend on the humidity in the air.

 

Additional Web Sites:

www.msha.gov  U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration
www.wvgs.wvnet.edu   WV Geological Survey
www.osmre.gov  U.S. Office of Surface Mining
www.coalinfo.com  Coal Information Site
www.mii.org  Mineral Information Institute

Return to WVMHST homepage:

Ordering information? send email to MHS&T @ Publications