Kindness Rocks  Explore: Students will be decorating stones with friendly messages of positivity to leave outdoors for others to discover and enjoy. First go outside to gather rocks to work with. Search for rocks about the size of a baseball that are smooth, or with a flat side. These will work best to add your kindness message to, but just about any rock can be used. Experimenting with different sized or shaped rocks for different length kindness messages can be fun.  

Create: Children will clean and dry the surface of the rocks to prepare them for decorating. The rocks can then be painted or drawn on with paint or permanent marker. Will your message show up best on a painted background or directly on the rock? Play around with it! Then choose something to write on the rock. The message should be applicable to anyone and be positive.. Quotes can be short: Smile. You got this. Unstoppable. Or long: “Werever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” -Lucius Seneca. Younger children may choose to simply draw a picture, like a rainbow or butterfly.   

Reflect and Share: What types of rocks worked best to create with? What techniques were successful for putting your message on the rock? What kindness message did you choose and why? What do you think the person finding your kindness rock will feel? How does that make you feel as the creator? When everyone is finished, you can leave the kindness rocks outdoors with others to find. This could be in a neighbor's yard, a nature trail, or in a kindness rock garden.  

  

Materials: Variety of smooth rocks with a flat side, Waterproof Paints, Small Paintbrushes, Paint Markers or Permanent Markers 

  

Why: STEAM, Creativity, Social Emotional Learning, Caring for others, Problem Solving, Development of Empathy, Connection, Fun  

   

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