Peace Rock Project

You are invited to help us make our world a little brighter by creating and adding a hand-painted rock to one of our many gardens at the Museum.

Through this community art project we hope to capture and showcase inspiring messages of hope, healing, unity, and love coming from within our community.

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To participate:

1)  Find and clean rock(s) for painting

2) Paint rock(s)

3) Bring rock to MHCM and leave it in one of our gardens!

4) Optional:  Take a picture of your rock once it is place and post it to social media and tag the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum (Facebook or Instagram)

 

Tips for helping little kids paint rocks:

Round “river rocks” are easiest for children to handle.

Clean rocks well before painting so the paint sticks.

You may find it easier to use spray paint to coat rocks before hand-painting as this creates a base coat that holds paint well. If using spray paint for a base layer, this is a big person activity – be sure to apply paint outside and away from items you don’t want paint to drift onto (such as your house, car, patio furniture). Lay rocks out on a large piece of cardboard and spray evenly. Allow to dry completely before handling.

Choose non-toxic, water-based paints.  We like “Patio Paints,” which are available from most craft stores or online.

Be sure to prep your painting area by laying down cardboard as a protective surface to paint on (flattened cereal boxes work well)

Help your child think about their creation before they start. What colors would they like to use? Do they have a design or message in mind?  Use this prep time as a way to talk about inspiring messages. Have your child suggest things that you can paint on your own rock.

To help paint resist chipping, you may want to spray a finish coat on rocks using clear spray paint or varnish.

Have fun – and thank you for being a part of this community art project!