We’re in the home stretch of summer vacation, and you know what that means? It’s time to cross those final items off your summer bucket list! ICYMI: We shared our own bucket list a few weeks ago, and today we’re going to show you a step-by-step of one of our favorite activities: painting pet rocks.
Painting a pet rock allows your children to spend time outside and indoors while using their imaginations. Our friends at Upbring School of Arts and Sciences helped us demonstrate how to turn an ordinary rock into a colorful, googly-eyed creature! Let’s get started!
Step One:
Head outside and find the perfect rock
Venture out into your backyard and start hunting! Your rock can be any shape or size. It can be big or small, round or square, bumpy or smooth. It’s totally up to you! Collect several rocks to maximize your collection!
Step Two:
Clean your rock
Once you find the perfect rock (or three!), head inside to the sink. Rinse your rock off with water, then add soap and scrub with a toothbrush to get it extra shiny and clean. When all the soap is gone, dry your rock off with a towel and get ready to paint!
Step Three:
Paint the rock
Now that your rock is dirt-free, it’s time for the main event! Put on a smock or an apron and fill a plate with your favorite paint colors. You can use as many or as few as you’d like. You can paint it like a rainbow or make it look like your favorite animal. Add glitter to make your pet rock sparkly or attach pipe cleaners for antennas or a tail!
Step Four:
Add googly eyes
After you’re done painting, bring your pet rock to life by adding two googly eyes on top. For extra fun, you can make your pet rock a cyclops with just one eye, or you can add as many eyes as you want!
Step Five:
The finished product
Congratulations! You just created your very own pet rock! Finish up the fun project by giving your rock a name and letting it dry on the windowsill. Use your imagination to create stories about where your pet rock came from and what kind of adventures it goes on.
Did you try this activity with your children? Share your photos and stories in the comments below. We’d love to see what you created!