Written by Alyssa Burley.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2016, Project Cornerstone’s Crystal Howard and Alyssa Burley, along with Hanson Aggregates‘ Eric Inouye visited Ms. Gillis’ fourth grade class at Avocado Elementary School in El Cajon, CA.

The students learned about construction aggregates (i.e., sand, gravel and crushed stone) used to product concrete and asphalt products, and how they are used to build our communities’ infrastructure.

In small groups, the students tested two aggregates samples using a sieve.  One sample included river sand and the other had beach sand.  They were able to determine river sand is best for making concrete.

Then, the students made their own small batches of concrete.  Each student choose a mold to pour their concrete into.  Once the concrete was hard, they were able to take them home. 

Photos by Alyssa Burley.