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California History + STEAM
Build. Test. Measure. Investigate.
A simple adobe-brick investigation can turn California mission history into a hands-on lesson in engineering, measurement, materials science, and historical inquiry. One of my SOC 906 students shared a classroom activity for making adobe bricks, and it immediately struck me as a great example of how California history can connect with science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Instead of simply telling students that many mission-era buildings were constructed with adobe, teachers can invite students to investigate the material themselves. What happens when the proportions of soil, sand, water, and plant fibers change? Which mixture produces the strongest brick? Does brick size matter? What happens when adobe gets wet?
What Is Adobe?
Adobe is a sun-dried building material generally made from earth, water, and an organic material such as straw or grass. Earthen construction has been used for thousands of years in many parts of the world. The National Park Service notes that Indigenous peoples in the Southwest were already using earthen-building traditions before Spanish colonization. Spanish colonial builders adapted and combined longstanding Indigenous and European construction practices throughout the mission period. At California missions, Native people performed much of the labor required to construct buildings, including adobe structures. That history is important to include when teaching students about mission architecture and construction.
Classroom Resource
Make Your Own Adobe Bricks
Heifer International provides a simple mud-brick activity using soil, water, sand, straw or grass, sunlight, and a mold. Students can create their own mixtures, allow the bricks to dry, and compare the results.
Turn the Activity Into an Investigation
Rather than having every group follow exactly the same recipe, give students an opportunity to change one variable and compare the results.
Change the Recipe
Groups could experiment with different amounts of sand, clay-rich soil, straw, grass, or water.
Measure
Record length, width, height, mass, drying time, and changes that occur as the brick dries.
Test Strength
Develop a consistent, teacher-approved test so every brick is evaluated under the same conditions.
Analyze the Results
Compare recipes, measurements, cracks, strength, and other observations to determine which variables mattered most.
A Natural STEAM Activity
Science
Investigate soil composition, evaporation, moisture, erosion, temperature, and material strength.
Technology
Document the process with photographs, digital journals, slides, video, or a shared data table.
Engineering
Define a problem, test mixtures, evaluate failure, revise the design, and create an improved brick.
Art & Design
Examine mission architecture, adobe wall construction, building forms, and how structures respond to climate and available materials.
Mathematics
Measure dimensions, calculate volume, compare ratios, create tables, graph results, and look for relationships between size, composition, and strength.
Questions Students Can Investigate
Which recipe produced the strongest brick?
What caused some bricks to crack as they dried?
Did the amount of straw or grass affect strength?
Was there a relationship between brick size, mass, and strength?
How did drying time affect the results?
Why would water and weather be important concerns when constructing and maintaining an adobe building?
Keep the History With the Hands-On Activity
Making a model brick can help students understand the physical properties of adobe, but the activity should also remain connected to the people who built and lived in mission communities. Native Californians supplied much of the labor that sustained the mission system, including construction. Pairing the engineering activity with primary sources, Indigenous perspectives, and discussion of labor and daily life creates a more complete historical lesson.
Teacher Note
Treat these as small classroom models rather than construction materials. Use clean materials, follow your school's procedures for hands-on activities, have students wash their hands after handling soil, and conduct any strength or drop testing in a controlled teacher-approved area.
SOC 906
California Missions: 1769–Secularization
SOC 906 gives educators opportunities to explore California mission history through historical readings, Indigenous perspectives, primary sources, historic places, literature, digital resources, and practical classroom applications. The course provides three graduate-level professional development credits through Fresno Pacific University's Center for Professional Development. Complete the online, self-paced course in as little as three weeks, with up to one year available for completion.
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History Students Can Build On
A small adobe brick can become much more than a craft project. With the right questions, it can help students investigate materials, test ideas, analyze evidence, understand architecture, and connect a physical object to the people and history of California's mission era.
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Jeromy Winter
Learn more about the History of California by signing up for one of my courses at Fresno Pacific University. 
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