Rock Painting Trail

About 60 minutes, outside, for ages 5 to 7.

Where it works

Works in any outdoor space

Who it's for

ages 5 to 7

Try Painting:

  • a rock with a face
  • a rock with a pattern
  • a rock with one word on it
  • a hiding place nobody will check

Today's Challenge

  1. 1.Which rock was the hardest to paint?
  2. 2.Where is the best hiding place you found?
  3. 3.Would you find your own rock if you had not hidden it?

Quick Start: What you need

  • 1smooth stones
  • 2paint or markers

The Goal

Paint a handful of stones, then hide them along a route for someone else to find.

How to start

  1. 1

    Gather what you need: smooth stones and paint or markers. Nothing else required.

  2. 2

    Head outside and paint: a rock with a face, a rock with a pattern, a rock with one word on it, a hiding place nobody will check.

  3. 3

    Talk about what you made. Start with "Which rock was the hardest to paint?"

  4. 4

    Print the worksheet to plan it out and keep what you make.

Map Your Trail

Draw the route you walked and mark an X everywhere you hid a rock.

Some of the oldest art people ever made was painted straight onto rock.

If you want to push it further

  • Hide one somewhere obvious and one somewhere sneaky
  • Leave a rock where you would want to find one

Print it and go

The worksheet has the checklist, the prompts, and a space to draw in. One page, ready for a bag or a glovebox.

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