Kiddo Krafts

So far, this summer has been gorgeous! It's been rather hot lately, but cool enough in the mornings to venture outside.
So yesterday, Booger and I had a special project in mind-- painting rocks!

First, we had to find the rocks. We strapped Chunk into the stroller, got our shoes and off on a walk we went.
What I didn't plan on was the shortage of rocks in my neighborhood...Who knew it would be so hard to find a decent sized rock? Luckily, after about 30 minutes of combing the streets, we found enough to satisfy both me and Booger-- though we may have stolen one or two from our own yard...

Once home, it was time for the Rock Wash. All it took was a small tub about 1/4- 1/2 full of water and a very excited toddler ready to get her hands wet! She washed, I dried, and we laid them out into the sun to finish drying completely.

After nap time, lunch and walking the dog, it was time to return to our (now super HOT) rocks. Mama had to hold them while she painted for a bit, until they cooled down enough for her tiny fingers. We used the same washable paint we use for painting pictures inside, so cleanup was easy. However, that does mean that the paint will probably come off in the rain, so keeping them outside will prove to be a problem. Our goal is to put them in a small flower pot in her play house and hope for the best...

Painting took about 30 minutes-- I would hand her the rock, she would paint however much she wanted on it, then it was set aside to dry. We came back to each rock once or twice to cover the whole thing. I put some special touches on some bigger ones, like a butterfly, heart, family initials, dog's name, etc. She was SO excited to show daddy when he came home from work. He barely got in the door before she was dragging him back to the deck!

 Little artist hard at work

All done!

It was a fantastic activity that helped span almost the whole day and included some physical exercise, mental exercise (choosing colors) and hand/eye coordination (painting). I call that a WIN in my book!