This easy kid’s craft makes use of the rocks around the yard.  We’ve taken rocks and cleaned them up and made them into all kinds of fun decorations for inside as a doorstop or paperweight or outside to put in the garden.  You can write inspirational words, make designs on them, glue eyes and spangles to them, the skies the limit. Check out our other  easy games and projects too at Kidfunideas.com

 

What you'll need:

·        Rocks

·        Acrylic paints

·        A couple of unsharpened pencils

·        A pencil sharpener

·        Toothpicks – to apply tiny dots to your rock

·        Glue

·        If you are using these outside- clear coat.

·        If you are using these rocks inside: Mod Podge

·        Other ideas:

·        Stickers

·        Googly eyeballs

·        glitter

Version 1 (for use inside):

1.     Clean and dry your rocks making sure to remove any dirt or crud from the rock.  Let your rock dry on some paper towels.  Once the rocks are dry, give them a coat of Mod Podge. This will make your rocks shinier and less porous.  Let the rocks fully dry before applying any paint or gluing anything to your rock.

2.     To paint dots on your rock, use the pencil sharpener and sharpen the eraser end of the pencil.  You can sharpen more than one eraser more or less to get different size dots. You are making a stamp from the eraser end of the pencil.   

3.     Decorate your rock however you like.  Some fun inspirational words you can paint onto your rocks are:

·       Be Kind

·       Patience

·       Love

·       Smile

·       Relax

·       You Rock!

 4    You can also make them into

·      Pet rocks and glue googly eyes onto them and draw in faces.

·                 You can draw an animal onto them or clip a picture out from a magazine and glue it to your rock. 

·                 You can apply dots all over your rock in patterns

·                 You can draw flowers all over your rocks

·                 You can paint them green and paint spines all over them and put them into a mini clay pot to be a rock cactus.

 

Version 2 (For use outside)

1.      Clean and dry your rocks.  With a sponge brush, apply a clear layer of acrylic sealant to the rocks.  This will allow your rocks to be less porous and protect them from the elements.

2.     Decorate with acrylic paint and allow to dry.  Once they are dry, cover them with one to two layers of the acrylic sealant, letting them dry between applications.

3.     Some fun ideas to have in your yard include the inspirational words from version one.  In addition, you can set them in your garden beds as plant markers writing down what is growing – i.e.: Parsley, Basil, Oregano. 

Getting creative with the rocks is a fun and inexpensive project for kids that’s sure to keep them busy and brighten up their day.