I try not to be political on my blog, but stick with me here, there’s a purpose.

Trump just completed his first 100 days in office (which, for the record, was the longest 100 days of my life). And I feel like since the election so many people are looking for ways to counteract the negativity and hate. Whether they are giving money to organizations that the administration speaks out against or national non-profits that have a budget on the chopping block. I will say, despite the reasoning, I love all the local social justice and action going on.

I am pretty active on a local mom’s Facebook group and out of that group an idea for a spin off group was born – Crofton is Kind. The mission is simple, ‘We are a group of parents and community members seeking to foster kindness in our children and our communities’ children. Whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Atheist, Black or White, Gay or Straight, immigrant or native born, Republican or Democrat, a Mom or Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Grandparent, or neighbor…as long as you support KINDNESS then we support YOU!’

Someone posted in this group about this really cool initiative going on in Ohio where people paint average rocks and hide them around the community. When they are found, they are shared with others as a way to spread beauty. I really liked the idea because it spans all ages. Here’s the video for some background.

My creative mind was popping and I decided to head to Michaels, take Mikey on a rock hunt, and spread some rock love. Turns out, it was stupid simple and not very expensive (we spent about $12) You need:

• Rocks (duh) – we found them in our neighborhood, but you can also buy them at a home improvement store or the like
• Acrylic paint – make sure it has outside use and NOT washable (because, rain)
• Paint brushes – or sponges, q-tips or fingers!
• Modge Podge – or something to seal the paint afterwards
• A note – you can include a note on the rock about what to do next or why you they got the rock. I did our hashtag on a handwritten piece of paper

Now that we have our supplies, let’s rock! (See what I did there?)

If you collected your rocks outside, they need a good scrubbing. Tip: use rocks that are a smooth as possible. Lots of bumps are hard to paint and seal. 

Paint! Make sure if you are doing multiple layers each one is dry before starting the next. You can paint anything that moves you. We did a mix of phrases, shapes and designs. One thing I learned, depending on the age of the kids participating, you might want to paint a bunch of rocks a solid color first, then let them decorate. Getting set up, painting one coat and watching it dry can be excruciating for little ones.

Once you are done painting and your rock is dry, it’s time to seal it. I will be honest, this made me so nervous because I didn’t want to mess up our hard work. BUT – it’s important and if you are 110% sure your rock is dry, you are golden. With the Modge Podge, I just painted a thin layer over the entire rock. When that layer was dry I ‘Modge Podged’ the paper hashtag over the bottom.

Now the other fun part – ‘plant them’! You can leave them on fences, by trees, trashcans, on benches and around playgrounds. Mike REALLY loved this part. He laid them under trees JUST SO. We talked on our walk about how when people find them it will make them smile.

If you paint some rocks or find some, share a picture in the comments!