The Corridor Rocks! – Brightening Days One Stone at a Time

Did you ever have a pet rock? You hunted for that perfect rock–just the right size and shape. You painted it with great care. Maybe you made a shoebox house for it or found just the right place in your mom’s flowerbed for it to live. What if you could introduce your kids to rock painting with a more meaningful twist?

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek

Rock painting and hiding groups are popping up all over the country, loosely based on The Kindness Rocks Project. Megan Murphy started painting rocks and leaving them for others to find as a way to spread inspiration and encouragement. The Today Show even had an article recently about this fun trend with rocks!

I am from Northwest Iowa, and I recently came across the Boji Rocks Facebook group via some friends up there. We happened to be visiting my parents over Memorial Day weekend, so we thought we’d try it out! We had so much fun making our creations, hiding them, and looking for other Boji Rocks!

Let’s be honest – we all have many stressors in our lives these days. I don’t know about you, but often I forget to “stop and smell the roses,” to appreciate the little things that are bright spots in my days. Think about how fun it would be to come across a pretty painted rock with a picture or quote on it!

With this post, The Corridor Rocks! is born! People of all ages can participate in brightening others’ day with this simple game of Hide and Seek. Here’s how you can get involved and join in the fun!


How to Participate in “The Corridor Rocks!”

1. Search for good painting rocks!

I like big smooth ones, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

2. Clean ’em up.

Remove any dirt or moss and let them dry. We just used sponges and and old toothbrush with some water.

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek

3. Paint your rocks.

You can use tempera paint, acrylics, washable paint, etc. to paint your designs. (We actually used some old stencil paints my mom had lying around!) It worked well to put paint on paper plates. I would recommend paint brushes with somewhat soft bristles. Ours had pretty stiff bristles which didn’t always end up in a smooth paint application.

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek

4. After they’re dry, mark them as Corridor Rocks!

On the back of your rocks, either print and attach a label (found in the Files section in the Facebook group) using glue or Mod Podge, OR write #corridorrocks on the back with a Sharpie. Regular Sharpies will work well for writing on dry paint, but if you haven’t painted the back of your rock, try Sharpie Oil-Based Paint Markers.

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek
Letting the paint dry before the clear coat

5. Seal your rocks so they can withstand our Eastern Iowa weather.

We used a quick-drying clear spray that we picked up at Wal-Mart. I did two light coats. (If you’ve glued the Corridor Rocks label on the back, make sure you clear coat that, too.)

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek

6. Take pictures of your Corridor Rocks

Post them in the Facebook group for others to see!

7. Go hide your rocks in the corridor.

Keep in mind that this activity can span a wide age range, so the “hiding spots” can be as obvious as you’d like them. Parks and playgrounds are good places to hide your rocks. We also hid some along a bike trail. I’ve seen pictures of rocks hidden at businesses (near the door at Hy-Vee, on the Redbox unit at Walgreens, etc.), community locations (schools, libraries, etc.), and neighborhoods, but make sure you get permission if you intend to hide Corridor Rocks on private property.

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek
Hiding our rocks in parks and along a trail

8. Take a picture of your rocks in their hiding places.

This could also be a picture that gives a clue about where you’ve hidden them. It may be a particular slide at a park, part of a sign, or some other landmark that will help people know the general area you’ve hidden your rocks. Share these pictures and clues in the Facebook group!

9. Seek and Find!

When you find a Corridor Rock, post a picture of it as well as the location you found it! Then figure out where you’re going to re-hide it and post a clue about that. If you fall in love with a rock you’ve found, it’s OK to keep it!

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek
Some of the treasures we found!

10. Enjoy!

Finally, check in on the Facebook group to see when your creations have brightened someone else’s day!

the corridor rocks: brightening days through hide and seek

It’s fun checking back to see if our rocks have been found! Our Ninja Turtle, metallic gold, and American flag rocks have all been posted!


Beyond just the fun of painting and hiding rocks, this activity is great for your kids to get them outdoors, nurture their creativity, work on fine motor skills, think strategically as they hide rocks, and develop observational skills as they hunt for rocks.

Does this sound like something you and your kiddos would enjoy? Join the Facebook group, and start painting and hiding rocks today!


 

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Sara C
Sara is a NW Iowa native who moved across the state to become a Hawkeye! After her time at the U of I, she left for optometry school and residency before coming home to Iowa to start her “adult” life in Coralville. She was in clinical practice for 5 years before trying her hand at the research side of eye care, working on clinical trials in the pharma/biotech industry. Sara is a wife, mom to a 5-year-old boy, and step-mom to four teenagers! Because her son was born at 25 weeks and had a lengthy NICU stay, Sara is passionate about all things related to prematurity, especially parent support in the NICU. She loves connecting with fellow NICU moms, both online and in person. Sara also enjoys spending time with friends and extended family, reading, scrapbooking, organizing, knitting, travel, keeping up with tech trends, finding new wines to enjoy, honing her photography skills, and serving on the Family Advisory Council for UI Children’s Hospital. She’s a consultant for Jamberry Nails, too, which lets her dabble in her creative side.

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