Reef Ball Building!

DAY ONE

Picture of students outside.
Students receive an introduction to the reef ball building process.
Student assembles a mold.
Assembling the mold. A student puts finishing touches on the reef ball mold.
A student getting the concrete mixed to the proper consistency.
Concrete being shoveled.
Shoveling the mixed concrete into the mold.
Concrete drying in a mold.
The filled reef ball mold is allowed to harden overnight.

DAY TWO

Students taking apart the reef ball mold.
Hatch Day! Students begin to disassemble the mold for the reef ball.
Students working on a reef ball project.
Students removing the small rubber balls that create holes to allow the passage into the reef ball for fish and other creatures.
Finished reef ball.
A freshly hatched reef ball!
Sign with reef balls.
The final products!

Over the first two years of the project, 480 reef balls were built by CCPS fifth grade students.  These reef balls are being placed on restoration projects in the St. Mary’s River and in the Chesapeake Bay near North Beach.