Rock Pet Projects for Kids
A pet rock project is a great activity for kids. Making a pet rock, or even a pet rock family, helps kids express their creativity and style any way they want. There is no limit on cute to creepy, fun to funky, or anything in between. With your imaginatio, you can make endless numbers of pet rock creatures, animals, or people! For this project you'll need a rock, some acrylic paints, some decorations (feathers, eyes, yarn, sequins, cotton balls, pom poms, felt, etc.), some white crafters glue, and some acrylic paint spray to finish for durability. This project should take 10-15 minutes.
First select a rock. Kids can choose any rock they want, but the smoother the rock, the easier it may be to glue and paint. Try streams or creek beds for the smoothest rocks and a wide selection. Once you've found your rock, you will want to gently wash it to clean up the “canvas” for your master piece. While the rocks are drying off, a great idea to pass the time is to draw a picture with the kids of what they want their pet rocks to look like.
Now it's time to decorate. If it will stick, it will work! You can try to remake your kid's favorite superhero or cartoon character. You can decorate the rock like their favorite animal, real or fictional. You can add big spots by dipping fingertips in the paint and then on the rock, or you can add little flecks and spots by flicking an old toothbrush head dipped in paint. Felt shapes can be cut out and glued on for ears. You can attach yarn to the top for hair, or braid some colors together for a multi colored tail. Once you have finished your creation, you can lightly spray the rock with an acrylic spray sealant to keep the paint from chipping or rubbing off. Let that dry and your pet rock project is complete!
Pet rocks can be great for an afternoon project. If you pick out a few rocks ahead of time and keep them stored, you can break them out for a quick rainy day activity. Once you have your first pet rock finished, you can try to make a family of pet rocks, a set of characters from a favorite TV show, or a group of animals from a specific part of the world. If you've created your own pet rock creature, try writing a one page story about where it came from, what it likes to do, and how it spends its days. Your imagination it the only limitation!
