Art Rocks
quality time
moments that matter
It almost feels like spring. The daffodils are poking their Kelly green heads out of the ground and the weather is warming. Alternately, it’s raining for days. It’s a perfect time for an inside/outside activity like painting rocks.
I first sampled rock painting as a wind-down activity in a parent-child yoga class with my daughter, and we both loved the activity. (I still have the rocks we made.) But my kids also naturally gravitate toward this activity. Last summer we had their paints and easel set up outside, and they would often leave their paper behind to start painting the rocks in our driveway. So when I saw a post on the blog of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Website on painting “kindness rocks,” I thought it would be a great idea to pass along. To read their full post, including a description of the domains of learning addressed through this activity, check out this link.
Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash
Kindness Rocks
Painted rocks, sometimes including messages and referred to as “kindness rocks,” are just that: rocks that have been decorated with paint or permanent marker. They can include a message, and they are deliberately left in public places (as with geocaching) for others to find, take, or leave. It’s an art project, community project, nature hike, and treasure hunt all rolled into one.
The site RockPainting101.com advocates using acrylic paint, and I have had good success with Sharpie paint pens. RockPainting101 also recommends sealing the rocks so that the paint doesn’t wear off when exposed to the elements.
Humans have been painting on rocks for ages, and I find it fascinating that my children re-discovered this ancient activity on their own (and that it’s such a huge trend among grown-ups and children). It’s amazing to see my children’s focus when they’re painting first one stone, and then another. It reminds me of looking into a stream full of pebbles, or shells at the seaside, where nature has created a mesmerizing array of color. I also love the idea of creating a tiny, surprising act of kindness for another person to discover.
Photo by Oliver Paaske on Unsplash
Do you have favorite kid-friendly nature activities? Share them in the Comments section below.
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