You Rock
Do you want to do something kind for someone?
Paint a rock! And leave it as a treasure for them to find.
Sometimes we just want to paint something that's going to stick around for a while. Something that will blend in from a distance and won't get in the way. Rocks check all the boxes.
NASA and Rocks
Do you know how important rocks are? We can't move rockets around from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Launch Pad without rocks! And not just any rock, a special kind of river rock that contains a lot of quartz so it is less likely to spark. The whole road that the Crawler travels down is thickly coated in river rocks. Here is a photo of the Crawler with the Mobile Launcher attached, moving slowly along the river rock road we call the Crawlerway.
NASA's Exploration Ground Systems made a coloring book that includes the Crawler and the Mobile Launcher! Check it out. (Clicking on this link will download a PDF from the NASA.gov website)
I love their depictions of "Mobie" the Mobile Launcher, and "Crawl" the Crawler-Transporter. Here is an image from the workbook linked above.
And here's a fact sheet with all the fun details about NASA's Crawler-Transporters. (Clicking on this link will download a PDF from the NASA.gov website)
But rocks aren't just for paving the roads for rockets. We can brighten someone's day with them, too!
What Rocks?
Any rock will do! Though we tend to prefer the smooth surfaces and muted tones of worn beach rocks. If you don't want to collect them in the wild, you can buy them by the bag at your nearest landscaping or hardware store.
We have been painting rocks for years now.
We started with permanent markers like Sharpies, but found they washed away too fast in the weather, and the colors weren't saturated enough to stand out against the stone. Then we tried spray painting some rocks and coloring on them afterwards with crayon and pencils. That worked pretty well, but it still wasn't our favorite. The bumpy rocks and the crayons did not always get along. Next we tried the preschool finger paints called Tempera paints, but the paint just flaked away. Then we tried acrylic paints, and they were ok, but still wore away fast in the rain.
Recently our neighbor friend taught us about the best paint:
Nail polish!
Nail polish comes in a wide array of colors, paints on rocks smoothly, is very sturdy, and will last for many years, even in harsh weather conditions.
What does nail polish look like on rocks?
Here is a close up of a monarch butterfly that we painted.
The Process
First, we picked out a smooth rock. We washed it and let it dry in the sun. Then we thought about how we might fit our creature on it. I drew a rough outline of the butterfly on the rock. Then we picked the colors that I wanted to use. I chose black, light golden orange, and a pale violet-tinged white. I started with my darkest color. I waited a few minutes for it to dry in the sun, then layered lighter colors over it. I had to work quickly because the nail polish dries fast in the sun. If I moved too slowly, my paints began to clump as I worked.
Painting
Here is a picture of our child painting a small rock with black shiny nail polish. She had a lot of fun with this project.
Here is a picture of an older child painting pink ears on a rabbit rock. She has an assortment of nail polish colors in a box beside her as she works. She painted three rabbit rocks in one afternoon.
Here is another child showing off the shimmering blue whale that she painted. She is pointing at a large dark blue eye.
Cleanup
We used non-acetone nail polish remover to remove any stray nail polish from our hands. Cotton pads work very well for this purpose. Cotton pads wipe clean without falling apart. Paper towel crumbles and cotton balls stick. But disposable cotton pads work well all around. Terry cloth towels also work in a pinch, but they tend to stain.
If you use any brushes other than the ones that come with the nail polish, you will want to soak them in the nail polish remover and wipe them clean, then rinse them out with fresh water.
If you just used the paint brush that came with your bottle of nail polish, just put it back in your bottle and twist it closed. It will work just as well next time!
Now we need to find places to leave them around town so they can brighten someone's day!
Rocks Make People Smile!
The other day our friend Jacob came across a rock that someone had painted and placed by a grocery store.
He turned it over and learned about the "Brevard Rocks" community. He told us all about his rock and how special it was to find one.
Other Crafts and Activities
We have friends who are collecting Springtime craft activities in their blogs. We'll share some links as they roll in!
Practical, By Default has some amazing ideas for Spring activities here! Great resources on birding, gardening (she linked this blog post in gardening!), and more: https://practicalbydefault.com/spring-activities-for-kids/
Drawing ideas from Kitchen Table Classroom: https://www.kitchentableclassroom.com/drawing-ideas-for-kids-23-ways-to-turn-your-kid-into-a-drawing-machine/
Nature play and outdoor inspired sensory fun, from Childsplay ABC:
Craft some beautiful floral butterfly wings with Woodlark Blog:
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