MORA Educational Resources

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Kids care about the environment. They know their future will be challenged to deal with problems related to resources scarcity, climate change and pollution. Kids of any age are empowered when they can take action over issues within their control, like recycling. 

Schools can use recycling to teach students concepts and competencies related to environment, economics and resources management.  Recycling can also provide schools with some much needed extra income!   The Missouri Recycling Association has developed and compiled the best resources for teaching recycling and sustainable practices. From lesson plans to interactive videos and school competitions.  Ready to recycle? Click the grade level below!
                                          Elementary  |  Middle School  |  High School
EPA Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments   10-Part Webinar Series
Student Curriculum: Recipes for Healthy Kids, and a Healthy Environment
Each 45-minute lesson empowers kids to take steps in their everyday lives to improve the environment for their communities and reduce their environmental risk.
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Recycle-Bowl Increase Recycling at School
Recycle-Bowl invigorates student participation through a national K-12 recycling competition. The program’s goals are to:
  • Establish new recycling programs within schools
  • Increase recycling rates in schools that currently recycle
  • Provide teacher/student educational opportunities about recycling and waste reduction
 
Cole R-V School in Eugene (Region H) and Graden Elementary School in Parkville (Region E) are participating in Recycle-Bowl this school year; 2015-2016.  
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Just in time for the new school year, EPA has released a new, nine-lesson program  designed to excite kids about environmental health and empower them to take steps in their everyday lives to improve the environment for their community and reduce their environmental risk.

Audience
  • Geared toward children ages 9 -13
  • Can be used inside or outside the classroom. The program encourages kids to actively explore the environments in which they live and play. It is geared toward use in:
    • Out-of-school programs
    • Extracurricular groups
    • After-school clubs_

Summer Reading List Suggestions

Project Learning Tree has a great list of books to keep the summer fun and your students reading.  More details.

Green School / Healthy School

Green Schools focus on multiple areas, all of which positively affect health and the environment. Taking steps to make your school and community a healthier place to be is essential for protecting children's health and improving their performance.
When schools engage students on natural resource issues, the students can better understand how daily choices in the products and services we consume impact the environment. As a result, they better appreciate the importance of our water, air, energy us, and healthy soil not to mention waste management, recycling, composting and reuse.  Learn more.

New Resources For Your Journey to Zero Waste

The Zero Waste Project - High School
Pass the Tomatoes - Middle School
Got Gadgets?..At What Cost?-Upper Elem & Middle
The Carbon Games -  Upper Elementary


Missouri Recycling Guide 

Climate Change Video Challenge

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The National Environmental Education Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are partnering to bring you this climate change student video contest. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to create a video that is 30-120 seconds long (so 2 minutes maximum) and that answers these two questions:

  • Why do you care about climate change?
  • How are you reducing carbon pollution or preparing for the impacts of climate change?

Missouri Environmental Education Association 

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Environmental education has standards and practices like other educational fields. MEEA created those standards for Missouri so that educators could help students to become better environmental planetary citizens. The MEEA website contains many excellent resources for teachers and students, including lessons, games, movies, apps, and books on many environmental topics, including Waste and Recycling and Pollution. Visit MEEA's website.  

    Do you have a recycling activity
    or resource that your students 
    enjoy? Suggest it here.

DNR Tire Grants

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During 2016, there are two scrap tire surface material grant offerings being made for the cost and delivery of scrap tire surface material. 

The application process for the Non-Playground Scrap Tire Surface Material Grant, available for running tracks, walking trails, equine/livestock stalls/riding area materials, other similar types of projects, or molded products is now open and applications are due no later than March 18, 2016. 

Grant applicants will be notified of award and a Financial Assistance Agreement will need to be executed between the department and the grant recipient prior to any work being done on the project.

Notice of funds available .