Rock Hunting

Have you heard of rock hunting, or painted rocks, or The Kindness Rock Project? In our area we have this project and I LOVE it! The kids love it too. People paint rocks and then hide them around our city to brighten someone’s day. Most of the rocks say keep or rehide so you could keep the rocks you find, but the idea is to spread them around to continue to spread the joy. My kids do usually find 1 or 2 rocks that they just can’t part with. I will let them keep it for a set period of time and then they have to rehide or pass along to a friend.

I like when my kids find a rock and they say, “I want to take this rock home and give it to So and So because…” and then they tell me why they think the rock is perfect for that person. I also love it because it teaches them to appreciate others, then reach out and tell that person what they like about them, and give them something to make them feel better or brighten their day. Sometimes they absolutely blow me away with how insightful they are! It also gives them a chance to spread the word about the Kindness Rock Project so others know and can participate.

The kids have been asking to go “rock hunting.” Some days we do it just for fun, but this week they haven’t been listening as much so I wouldn’t take them. Most days it is just me that takes them because Daddy has to work so if they aren’t listening at home, they aren’t likely to listen when we go rock hunting. I explain to them that Mama needs them to be able to listen and needs to know they will listen because they could get hurt if they aren’t listening. I explain to them that because they aren’t listening they cannot go rock hunting. It doesn’t always go over well, but sometimes hard lessons have to be learned.

So after them asking for a few days and us having a few hard days,my husband and I decided that had done better and we could go rock hunting. I was glad to have Daddy go with us! I also packed a picnic lunch so we could enjoy a little more outdoor time! We set out to the hot spot for rock hunting in our area. I like this area because it is at a park. The park has a nature area that has so much shade. It also has hills that wear the kids out (this Mama too for sure!), benches, and signs that teach about the different nature areas in the park, different things you can find in the nature area, and even signs teaching you how to compost! There are also beautiful flowers! There is plenty of space to be able to safely social distance as well. There also aren’t many people that trek through the nature area so I feel a little better and a little more able to social distance in the nature area. My favorite thing is the shade though, especially in the HOT summer. It was hot and humid the day we went rock hunting. It was so humid that as soon as we stepped out of the car, we were immediately wet from head to toe. One reason I was glad Daddy was with us was because I realized when we got to the park I had forgotten Little Red’s shoes at home. Bummer. He got to have a nice stroll in the park, in his stroller. Luckily Little Red doesn’t put up too much of a fight about going in the stroller. As long as he is outside, he is happy! He LOVES being outdoors.

We set out on our adventure! Since Daddy was with us, it allowed me to take each of the big kids on a solo adventure. It gave me a little time to spend with each of them without interruptions from one of the other kiddos. My daughter and I ventured to the gorgeous, tall, yellow sunflowers. We have never ventured there before because of my oldest son. He loves to touch EVERYTHING! When he realized he couldn’t reach the flowers, I could just picture him picking up a stick and trying to hit the flowers with the stick to “reach them.” I can imagine this because when we go on walks he likes to pick up sticks and hit all things green. We have had several discussion about how we don’t touch things that aren’t ours. He tends to forget those discussions. It is a work in progress. He does usually listen though when we walk around the neighborhood and doesn’t touch people’s flowers. I don’t know that it would be the same at the park though!

Rock hunting is also great because we get out into nature, get exercise in, have fun, and it wears the kids out! The kids can easily walk 2 miles looking for rocks without 1 complaint! Our adventure was no different! We spent about 2 hours walking around, exploring, and looking for painted rocks. We didn’t’ find many, but we did find a few. When we were done looking for rocks we sat down on a bench and got ready for our picnic. While getting everything out, 2 ladies walked by. The kiddos decided to get their attention, keep their distance, and show off the rocks they found. They then explained to them about finding rocks and rehiding them for others to find. It was fun because the ladies mentioned they see the rocks all the time but didn’t know what they were for. They learned about the Kindness Rock Project!

The kids ate their sandwiches, veggie straws, and cheese sticks and enjoyed the outdoors! They had a ton of fun, Mama got in her steps, and they were worn out. They took a nice long nap when we got home. Even sister took a nap! She rarely takes a nap unless she is a total grouch! Sometimes during nap time, my daughter and I take to painting rocks of our own to hide! I am not creative and not artistic so it is hard for me, but it is a bonding time with my daughter. She is pretty creative! I’m considering buying her some of the acrylic pens that are highly recommend by other rock painters. She does really well with pens. Currently we use acrylic paints I have that I use on other projects.

If you don’t have anyone doing the Kindness Rock Project in your area, start it up! Or find a friend that is creative and artistic to help you start the project! Make someone’s day! The Kindness Rock Project ROCKS! See what I did there?!!? Too cheesy? Oh well, I tried! We also have someone who has combined rock hunting with geocaching in our area! If you don’t know what geocaching is, you should look it up! It can be a ton of fun also! We haven’t done it with the kids yet, but it gets you out and gets you exploring and exercising in a fun way! Happy Hunting or Good luck starting something new in your area! Have fun!

***Disclaimer: Below I am linking some of the products I use for rock painting and the acrylic pens that come highly recommended in our rock painting community so you can get started as well! If you click a link and make a purchase, I may make a commission from that sale at no additional cost to you. Happy painting!