Rock painting- hide and seek

Rock paintings are a simple art experience for children and adults alike and so much fun! There is no right or wrong, just room for pure creative expression. Collect rocks when you are out and about, or purchase some river stones from your local hardware or landscaping company and get busy creating with paint, gel pens, permanent markers and more!

We are part of the NSW rocks Facebook page- a group of people in the community who play rock painting hide and seek. There are lots of different ways to participate- some will create and hide the rocks, whilst others paint, hide, find, re-hide or do all three! It’s so much fun!

Does your local area have a group the same or similar? Why not search on Facebook, find out and join the fun!

What you will need

Activity steps

Set up:

Collect some smooth stones or purchase some from your local hardware or landscaping store. Unpolished, clean, dry rocks are best.
Now using your acrylic paint and gel pens, decorate your stones. You can be as creative as you like! Make patterns, draw pictures or scenes- the sky’s the limit! Let the rock dry.
Now seal your rock with a clear gloss spray and leave it to dry again. This is an optional step, but recommended if you want the rocks to be weatherproof and last long term.
Now enjoy your decorate rock.

Extension:

Play painted rock hide and seek! There are a few different ways you play- you can create a rock, you might like to rock drop or you can rock find or you can do all three! See the details below.

Note: If you are going to be a part of an official rock painting hide and seek, you might like to label one side of your rock with the Facebook symbol and the name of the group you are following. That way you are letting others know how to join the fun and what to do next, or you might just be lucky enough to see your rock found and a picture might be posted on the Facebook page! See the photo below as an example.

Rock drop:

Once you have created some rocks, take your painted rocks and head to your local park or walking path.
Now be sneaky and find some obvious, but good hiding places for your stones.
If your following a Facebook group make sure to follow their instructions, each page my differ slightly.

Rock find:

Be on the lookout when you visit parks, bush tracks or even just walking paths around you. Painted rocks are often left on the ground, but can be hidden anywhere!
If you find a rock- smile and enjoy it! You might like to take a photo and follow the label on the back if it has one. For example, If it has the Facebook symbol with “NSW rocks” written on it- search for that page and leave a comment and photo- the rock hider will love to see their creation found. Be sure to read the Facebook pages rules- most will be similar, but some rules may vary.
Now re-hide the rock you found, or keep it, create and hide your own and keep the joy and kindness rolling.

Learning Outcomes

Reference sites

We would like to acknowledge these amazing sites that have inspired us to create this activity. Thank you!