Kindness Rocks and Leap Day Fun with the Grandkids

Spreading good cheer with kindness rocks and do it with your grandkids. I've written about kindness rocks before. I love the concept: leaving a message on a rock for someone to find on their walk. So the purpose of this blog today is twofold--create some kindness rocks and do it with your grandchildren. You can either paint kindness rocks with them or just paint them yourself and have your grandchildren help you hide them around the neighborhood. And we have an extra day this year--it's LEAP YEAR! So celebrate Leap Day this year by hiding messages of goodwill and encouragement for others to find and be cheered.

The concept of Kindness Rocks~

The Kindness Rock Project was started by Megan Murphy. She was missing her deceased parents and on her walks along the beach, she would often look for signs that they were watching over her from above. She would look for seashells, pretty rocks, and sea glass. She felt comforted by what she found. She considered that others probably do the same on their walks. So one day on a lark, before she left the house on her daily walk, she grabbed a marker and wrote some short messages on some rocks she had collected. 

I often paint something on the front of the rock--a flower or a ladybug--just to catch the walker's attention. Then I might put the inspirational word or words on the back.

My thoughts on kindness rocks~

I was recently with a family member when he got some bad news. He left the house saying, "I just need to go for a walk." That spurred me to create some kindness rocks once again. Now I realize the odds of someone going for a walk to clear their head and finding one of my kindness rocks might be pretty slim, but you never know. Anytime someone is out in nature and taking a walk might just need that little spark or a word of encouragement. Or they might pass it on to someone who does.

I often just put a silly creature on the rock. The message on the back of this one was, "Stick your neck out."

Rocks with a Leap Day/Leap Year theme~

I often paint rocks with a seasonal theme--Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day. This month I painted rocks with a leap year theme--it just might be the time someone needs some extra encouragement, so I painted rocks with the "take a LEAP," idea. Maybe it would encourage someone to try something or change something. Anyway, that's what I did.

Here's one of my rocks for Leap Year with the message on the back.

We need SPRING!

​While I was in my craft room painting kindness rocks, I also began painting rocks to welcome spring. It's been a long, cold winter, so even though it's not spring yet, people might need to find a sign of spring on their walk. Why not on a rock?

The back of this one said, "Take just one step at a time."

Leap Day with the grands~

This kindness rock project all started when my grandson and I were looking for ideas on how to celebrate Leap Day. As always, one only has to google something like, "Leap Day activities with the kids. . . " And you can do the same. I found things like:

• Have a leap day party
• Decorate cookies with a frog motif. Or it might be easier to make green cupcakes and decorate with gummy frogs.
• Make a Leap Year time capsule. And open it in four years
• Or. . . as my grandson and I are doing--decorate kindness rocks and hide on Leap Day

One final appeal!

I've written before about all the blessings of painting kindness rocks. It makes you feel good to spread some good cheer and words of inspiration around your town and neighborhood. But it's also fun for the painter when you're involved in the act of painting. As so many of you already know, when you're working on your hobbies and crafts, it makes you forget your troubles and focus on your creation. It's good for us! As our mothers always told us, busy hands are happy hands. So if you're looking for an additional hobby, I recommend painting kindness rocks.

Website about the Kindness Rock Project~

​www.scarymommy.com/the-kindness-rocks-project/

Previous blogs about kindness rocks~
​www.gigisseasonings.com/blog/kindness-rocks-project-with-the-grandkids

​www.gigisseasonings.com/blog/kindness-rocks-continued