Hot rocks

Last weeks the Girls Club girls and I tackled another craft I found on Pinterest (original pin came from the blog Artful Parent). Turns out I am just not knowledgeable about simple crafts for kids. Because I find a really cool one and think it is awesome and one of a kind and then people say, "I did that as a kid" or I google the craft and find 15 blogs about the same craft project.

Time to join the masses and share a craft I had never heard of. Maybe you haven't either and it is so easy. We called it Hot Rocksbut it is more commonly called melted crayon rocks. You need rocks, peeled crayons, foil, cookie sheets, an oven, and hot pads. (Such a cheap supply list!)

First, find rocks you would like to paint. I went hunting for rocks in the dry creek bed at a nearby park. I didn't find many rocks that were big enough to paint, but I found lots of concrete chunks. These worked well, but they aren't as naturally pretty as a God-made rock.

Next, wash the rocks. The girls liked this part because they also got each other wet in the process.

Line a baking sheet with foil and turn your oven to 350. Put the rocks on the foil and stick in the oven until rocks are hot or as long as you need them in there. Without any dirt on the rocks, there is no smell.

While the rocks "baked" I had the girls peel wrappers off crayons. Then on the deck outside I set out aluminum foil work centers for the girls. If you do this craft inside, consider using a towel under the foil to protect your tabletop from the hot rocks.

The girls gathered up the crayons of their choice. And picked a work station. I gave my warnings about how hot the rocks would be and how the crayon wax HAD to stay on the foil.

My biggest mistake was not having the girls plan a few designs for the rocks. (Really, I should have done a few samples myself ahead of time) Without design think-time some of the girls couldn't think of a design and just melted colors and then felt jealous of the one girl who did make designs.

I delivered the first round of rocks to each girl using hot pads. The girls simply pressed the crayon against the rock and it instantly melted. It is almost like painting. In spite of the quick melt, I was surprised at how much control the little artists had over where the wax went.

I loved this craft. It was entertaining and different. Next time, I will make sure I have more than 2 rocks per girl. I think their creative ideas were just hatching after the second rock. They (We)  finally knew how this new medium worked and were ready to try more specific designs.

What craft have you tackled lately? Any Pinterest inspired projects?
Particpating today in a link up with studio jru and other creative souls.

Sidewalk Paint Fun

I joined the Pinterest Bandwagon a few months ago. Because decorating and organizing my house is stressful and since I don't like cooking, it isn't addicting to me. I find it to be a great organizing tool. I used to clip magazine articles about crafts to do with the kids or recipes I wanted to make. They cluttered my piles until the mess frustrated me enough to throw them away, undone.  But with Pinterest? I can pin pictures, find the original idea and not add to my already teetering piles of so-called organization. 


Since I joined, I have been pinning activities to do with the girls during the summer, especially the Girls Club. 


This summer  Girls Club girls and I are going through Nancy Rue's The Buddy Book. We are learning about how God created us to be in relationships of many kinds, how God is the ultimate counsellor, and that relationships can be tough. The book has fun quizzes. Today we covered relationships in general but each week we will cover a different chapter/relationship: parents, siblings, friends, boys, God, ourselves. Each week I feel tired and a bit lethargic about Girls Club but each week, when it is over I am energized and thrilled like God has filled my cup with blessings in allowing me to know these sweet girls and to influence their faith. 


But we can't just do study time together. Fun is mandatory. So this week we made sidewalk paint. The recipe, found on Pinterest and originally from the blog Hammer and Thread, was super simple.

I purchased 8 disposable mini containers from the dollar store (in packages of four) so we would have paint containers with lids. The girls loved being color scientists.  When the paint initially goes on the sidewalk it can be a bit dull, but when it is dry, the colors are bright and much prettier than chalk. And when we started to sweat, we painted the neighbor's garage (with permission) because it fences in our backyard is ugly and peeling, and my neighbor knows he should paint it but never does so we decided to make it look nicer. That's when the girls decided splatter painting might be fun because the paint is really runny and was difficult to paint with on a vertical surface. Craziness followed. 

We will do this activity again. It was fun, cheap and easy. What more could you ask for?


Posting with others who practice creativity at Studio JRU. Check out their projects here. 

andon 7/28/12 I shared this post here: