Have you walked through your local park in your neighborhood, or by a local store and noticed a hand-painted rock hiding in plain sight? This hidden treasure is likely part of the painted rock trend that has taken off over the last few years.
Originally inspired by The Kindness Rocks Project, this crafty treasure hunt holds endless fun for kids and families from all over the nation including locally here in Metro Detroit. The idea behind it is to spread kindness and fun to counter the negativity and bad news we see on social media and on TV every day. One of the best parts of this craze is how easy and simple it is for kids of all ages to participate.
How It Works
The basics behind rock painting is kids and families will paint and hide small rocks throughout the neighborhood for other people to find. Before hiding them, some people like to take pictures of them and share on social media what they painted. Keeping in mind the rock is meant to spread kindness and happiness, the painter of the rock usually paints a nice message like “Smile to spread joy” or an image like a flower or ladybug on the top. When found, the person that found the rock can take a photo of the rock and share it on social media as well then re-hide the rock. Sharing on social media, especially in Facebook groups, makes it easier for rock-painters to know when their rock was found and helps people bond in the community.
One of the reasons this simple, but the fun trend has taken off so quickly is the treasure-hunting experience that kids (and some parents like me!) get so excited for. Imagine you’re at your local park with your daughter or son, and out of nowhere, they yell a loud “YES!” while jumping and dancing around. They run over to you with their new-found treasure, a colorful painted rock with polka dots and flowers on it. This magical little moment is priceless and adds so much fun to a regular trip to the park.
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Getting Started
If you want to start spreading kindness with a fun craft for the kids, all you have to do is simply find a small, smooth rock and some paint that will last outside, or you can pick up one of our many rock painting kits at Whistle Stop. From there, on a paint-safe surface, let your kids get creative and paint the rock any way they want with a positive message or a fun image. Some people like to make the rocks look like bugs or fruit.
Once you have your rocks painted and let them dry, before hiding them, take a few pictures and post in your local rock-painting group. Some local Michigan groups on Facebook are Southeast MICHIGAN ROCKS!, St. Clair Shores Rocks, and Grosse Pointe Art Rocks. After posting your sneak peek of rocks that can be found, take a nice day with the kids and let them hide them around town. Great hiding spots are along walkways like sidewalks or in the nook of a tree at eye level. Adult supervision when hiding the rocks to keep the activity fun and make sure rocks aren’t placed where they might be troublesome is a good idea, but other than that let the kids hide their own rocks.
After the kids hid their rocks they can go out on adventures of their own to hunt for treasures that other people hid in the neighborhood. When a painted rock is found, just take a picture of it to share in your Facebook group where you found it, and, if you want, you can re-hide the rock for the next person.
As a favorite summertime activity that the kids can endlessly enjoy, rock-painting and the thrill of treasure hunting is something any family can do together. This trend is a unique way to bond with others and spread kindness and joy in the community. To see a variety of rock painting kits, feel free to visit Whistle-Stop.com or come visit us in person! We are just around the corner.