CINCINNATI — All across Ohio roads, parking lots and sidewalks are being built or repaved with concrete. But have you ever wondered what else you can do with this type of material?

Recently, Madeira Elementary School students participated in the Concrete Kits for Kids program. It was an exciting day for 8-year-old Xander McAleer and his peers. He and the other 150 third graders created boats out of concrete. It's part of the Concrete Kits for Kids program put on by Ohio Concrete.

“I learned how they ready mix it in the trucks and how long ago it was used,” said McAleer.

Mixing the concrete is step one. Sand, water, cement and perlite are just some of the other ingredients used to make two boats. McAleer said it was different than what he expected. 

“It was hard to keep all of it into the container,” he said. “I just tried my best, but the perlite was hard to keep in. But it was very fun.”

The Kits for Kids program is a part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics curriculum at the school. Through this project, Ohio Concrete hopes to show kids the versatility of concrete. McAleer says he hopes to apply what he’s learned in the classroom. 

“The other two, three years I’ve done it, I learned a lot and that helped out my skills for today,” he said. 

Now that he’s finally got everything together for his boats, they set out to dry. Once they are dry, he and his classmates will test them out. 

They’ll find that the boat with perlite, water and cement will float. And the one with just water, cement and sand will sink. McAleer says this experience has inspired him to become a concrete engineer in the future. 

“It was a good experience that I probably won’t forget and I’ll get to show with my kids,” he said.