Rock Painting, Hunting and Finding in Colorado Springs

0

Who doesn’t love a treasure hunt?  Add rocks, a little creativity, social media and you have a winning combination.

Rock Painting Rocks!

I didn’t immediately jump into the rock painting craze. However, when we found one on a walk recently, our kids became excited about idea. The next thing I knew, we were painting rocks together and reaping the benefits of less whining on our strolls around the neighborhood. #momwin
 
If you’re not familiar with this rock hiding game, think of it like a community wide treasure hunt. Find a rock, paint a rock, hide a rock. Finding a local Facebook group for the activity is a fun way to follow along as well. One of the local groups for the Colorado Springs Area is 719 Rocks! Some neighborhoods have their own groups as well and if not, you could start your own group for your area.
 

Hide and Seek

Where do I find them? These beautiful painted rocks have hiding places in more places than you may realize. Once we began to find them, we started locating them all over town. Find them in places like: city parks, hiking trails, neighborhoods, and even store parking lots. You’ve likely walked past them and not realized it.

Found a rock, now what?  Many of these stone canvases have writing on the back that tells what Facebook group the artist is in. Recently we found a rock all the way from Massachussetts! Feel free to post a picture of your find on the local Facebook group or the Facebook group written on the rock. This isn’t a must, but as the artist, it’s enjoyable to see that someone found your creation. Feel free to keep your found treasure or keep the hunt going and rehide it for someone else to find.

Where do I hide them? You can choose to discreetly hide your treasures or hide them in a more obvious place easily noticeable by someone passing by. A few places NOT to hide them: don’t hide within businesses, national and state parks or private property.  When in doubt, it’s always good to ask a local Facebook group and let the rock experts chime in. 

Paint Them Pretty

What do I use to paint rocks? Likely, you can get all the supplies you need at a local big box store.  Acrylic paint works well—and it doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A permanent oil based marker or paint pen also seems to work well for writing on the rocks.  After the paint has dried, you’ll want to seal the rock with a non-toxic clear sealer. Some use a brush-on sealer, like Modge Podge, while others opt for a spray sealer.

What do I paint? Anything you want! The sky’s…well, the rock’s…the limit. Paint anything: cartoon characters, emojis, a beautiful design, tacos, sports or simply write and encouraging quote. If you’re part of a Facebook group and want to spread the rock paint love, don’t forget to label the back of your rock with the group name.  To jumpstart your creativity, check out our Pinterest board with tons of creative rock painting ideas. 

Old Becomes New

They say everything old comes back in style again. I guess the 70’s beloved Pet Rock is again taking a turn in the spotlight, but in a slightly different form.  Have you joined the rock hunting fun yet?  What is a favorite rock you found?