How Painted Rocks are Making a BIG Impact on Houston Kids

When I was a kid, we decorated rocks to keep as pets. Yep, you may remember pet rocks. Now, a movement to decorate rocks is really catching on in the Houston area {and beyond}. The goal: to spread kindness and maybe a smile. 

The goal of “The Kindness Rocks Project” is simple — to promote random acts of kindness by decorating rocks and hiding them for other people to find. The movement was started by a woman in Massachusetts who just wanted to inspire people in a surprising way. Now people all over the world – literally – are taking part in this rock decorating love! There are thousands of communities joining in, and I was excited to stumble upon the fun while out with my family.

My 7 year old daughter and I were on a bike ride/run in the green belts in our neighborhood when we came across a cool rock with a cat painted on it. My daughter was so excited, you would have thought she won the lottery! The note on the back let us know what to do next: re-hide the rock for someone else to find, or keep it! Since then, I’ve watched the Facebook group in our community grow to hundreds of people, all decorating, hiding, and finding rocks. What a bright spot it has created in our community!

Why We Love The Kindness Rocks Project…

Exercise – First of all, it’s HOT in Houston. Any activity that can keep the kids moving around and playing outside is a bonus in my book! While some are hiding the rocks in plain sight so they can be spotted right away, others are posting photos with clues to where their rocks are hidden. It’s like a scavenger hunt of sorts, and it’s getting kids up off the sofa and out and about around town.

Arts & Crafts – What mom isn’t looking for some sort of {affordable} and easy craft the kids can do this summer?! It doesn’t get much easier than rocks and paint. The Kindness Rocks Project website includes decorating suggestions and printable messages to include on your rock.

Great Teaching Tool – Not only are you teaching the kids about spreading happiness to other people, you can show them how big of a difference it’s really making. On the Kindness Rocks Project website, there is an interactive map that shows thousands of points where people are taking part in the project. From India to Italy, it’s so cool to imagine that we are all in this together and doing something to bring a smile to someone.

Brings a Community Together – I may see these people at the grocery store or recognize their kids from the park but somehow this project has brought a lot of us together! People are taking photos of rocks they have found with some even having rock decorating parties. The kids are just loving it and the smiles are truly contagious. Such a simple concept that is striking up conversations!

Inspired? The Kindness Rocks Project has directions for starting your own rock hunt group, and you can also search to see if there is already one up and running in your area. 

{Side Note :: Texas Parks and Wildlife asks that you *not* leave painted rocks in state parks. Pleaseandthankyou.}

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