Learning Kindness, The Hard Way

Kindness ROCKS! Or at least that’s what I’m teaching my five-year old son.

An inspiring project is taking the internet by storm – and is much more meaningful than another viral sensation, a spinning gadget.

Did you know that kids, adults, and artists are painting small rock masterpieces and hiding them in public? There are countless Facebook groups in which painters share clues about where they’re hiding them – and people are posting their pretty rock finds. (TIP: Search the name of your town/city/region + “Rocks” on Facebook. For example: Tampa Rocks, Sarasota Rocks, etc.)

After painting his rocks, and letting them dry for 24 hours, my little artist couldn’t wait to go to a nearby shopping center to hide them. But before they were ready, I wrote some positive messages on top of the rocks in black ink: such as “BeYOUtiful.” Then, without explaining the complexity of hashtags to my son, I marked each one with #StrollerRocks.

Photo: Stroller Full of Fun

We belong to a number of local rock painting groups, each of which encourages the use of their hashtags – but for our very first time, I decided to make up our own. After stuffing his pockets with five rocks, my son took off with his Dad to hide them around a Target near our home in Sarasota, Florida.

The first Tweet came about ten hours later…

A woman from Citrus County, 130 miles away, was the first to post my little one’s rock. Not surprising, because the shopping center is extremely close to a major highway. She found us by searching #StrollerRocks. I posted the hashtag on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

I received word on Facebook from a second woman about an hour later; I would later learn that the two women are sisters, and their daughters found the rocks:

We were traveling north from Manasota Key and stopped at Chipotle and found the white one with the blue Mickey Mouse head on it. My daughter rehid it at a rest stop down 75 almost to Bushnell… We just want you to know how excited she was because we do #Invernessrocks and #Brooksvillerocks

Photo: Stroller Full of Fun

Incredible! Now my little boy’s creation has traveled more than 100 miles to make someone else smile. You can imagine the joy on my son’s face when I relayed these messages.

He asked me to send each person who discovers his rocks a smiley face emoji because quote, “I like to make people happy.”

If that doesn’t send you running out the door to bring home your own set of rocks and paint, I don’t know what will. There are so many people who could use a smile today.

The lessons we teach our kids need to outweigh all of the negativity and bullying in our society. If my child can make another person smile because of his kind act, then I’m doing my job by raising a thoughtful, caring person.

To the two ladies who kindly entertained my hashtag, THANK YOU. One small gesture can go a long way! We have a few more rocks out there and dozens more to hide. I’m looking forward to this long, summer journey.

Ready to get started in the Kindness Rocks movement? Need some artistic inspiration? Visit our Pinterest page for ideas!

Here’s What You Need To Make Kindness Rocks*:

• River or Landscaping Rocks available at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and more.
• Paint & Paintbrush
• Sharpie Marker
• Clear Coat or Outdoor Sealant (to protect the paint through weather)

*We found a rock painting kit for five dollars at the store, Five Below, which includes about thirty rocks, paint, and a paintbrush.

Follow us on social media – and share your stories of kindness with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

 

 

 

5 Shades of Fun

Coloring books are drawing the attention of a new group of artists… adults. I’ve won a coloring contest or two in my day (former Eckerd Easter and Halloween coloring champion here), so when I heard that Crayola was opening an attraction at the Florida Mall in Orlando, I knew I had to take my little guy.

Our 5 Most Colorful Moments:

1. Each guest receives 2 tokens with the price of admission. Each token will get you either a personalized crayon label or a pack of modeling clay (choose your own color, for both!)

2. Be the coloring book. Choose your scene and then sit down. Say cheese! It’s just like a photo booth and prints in less than 5 seconds. We had fun with this!

3. Another activity reminded me of my toddler’s favorite App, Car Wash. First, you color a car or doll of your choice. Next, you scan the coloring sheet, choose accessories for your car or doll — and then, see it in action on the big screen.

4. There are plenty of tables scattered throughout the venue. And crayons, markers, wax or paint for your little Picasso, but the best part? Parents were having just as much fun! It just goes to show, you’re never too old to be creative… or color a picture.

5. So, you got to try out Crayola products upstairs, now it’s time to buy your own. I can’t wait to buy my toddler the Paint Pals Paintbrushes. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find them in the first-floor gift shop (which is accessible to mall shoppers without paying admission). You can also buy your own set of crayons from a colorful, rainbow wall. And then, there are the t-shirts…

>I found admission to be a bit pricey for a single visit, but I’m a mommy on a budget. They do offer an annual pass – which is a good deal for locals.

>Bring your patience. There’s lots of traffic in Orlando and lots of foot traffic and strollers in the attraction.

>And go early, while the paint sets are full and the trash cans are free of discarded art.

Until next time… -MP