Girl Scouts Kindness Rocks

I have been working on kindness projects with my Girl Scout Troop, and have been wanting to make some Kindness Rocks for a while now.  I have been following the Kindness Rocks Project, and once the weather got a little nicer this spring, I decided to get started.  The girls are ages 8-10 and they really enjoyed this project, from decorating the rocks to finding places to put them.

Materials needed:

Rocks (Home Depot – approx $11)
Spray Paint (2 colors + clear gloss – $3.87 per can)
Paint Pens (set of 12 on sale at Michaels – approx $6)

Kindness Rocks

I chose two light colors in a more matte finish, so that the finish wouldn’t be too shiny and in the hopes it would make it easier to decorate the rocks.  I wanted light colors so that when the girls put them outside, they would stand out, but that the colors were pleasant to look at.

Kindness Rocks

I started by laying out the rocks, spacing them out just enough so the top half would get sprayed.

Kindness Rocks

I made sure the rocks were coated enough so that the kids wouldn’t have trouble writing on them.  I allowed the rocks to dry for a couple days just to make sure the finish wouldn’t be tacky and so the rocks wouldn’t have a strong spray paint smell to them.

Kindness Rocks

Once the rocks were dry, I laid them out in 10 rows (since I have 10 scouts in my troop).  I wanted to make sure there was an even distribution of rocks as far as basic size and colors.

I bagged up the rocks, with each girl getting about 10 rocks, and setting a few extras aside (in case someone messed up a rock and wanted a new one).

Kindness Rocks

At our meeting, I explained the project and gave the girls some ideas.  We talked about some kind words and things that would make someone happy if they saw it written on a rock, and the kids got to work decorating their rocks.

Kindness Rocks

The girls used a combination of Sharpie Markers and Paint pens.  Both worked well, but the paint pens were definitely something the adults had to help with because you have to shake the paint pens and depress the tips to get the paint to come out.

The girls put their rocks back in their bags, and I took the rocks home to spray with a sealer.

Kindness Rocks

I did have some issues with the paint bubbling on some of the yellow rocks.  I think I may have put on too much enamel – so I recommend spraying light coats and allowing to thoroughly dry.

Kindness Rocks

We are in the process of placing the rocks outside.  I discussed with the girls to be careful about things like making sure the rocks are placed carefully (not where someone will mow), or to make sure that the rocks aren’t in the way or in a place they shouldn’t be.

Kindness Rocks

Our council has patches for “Kindness Rocks”, and you can also find patches online.