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Painted Rock Hunting: A Community Treasure Hunt

One of mine and my daughter's new favorite hobbies is hunting for painted rocks and painting and hiding our own for others to find. This new community treasure hunt started in Washington state a few years ago and has quickly spread and grown in popularity. My daughter found our first rock a few months ago in a planter box outside our church. It had an angel painted on one side and a hashtag that lead us to a facebook group dedicated to painting and hunting for rocks in our area. Basically people just paint rocks and hide them around the community. Some people post pictures and hints to help you find their rocks. When you find one, you post a picture, and then either keep it or rehide it.
We were excited to get started painting our own rocks so I did a quick Google search to see what other people were using that wouldn't wash off in the rain. Acrylic paint with a sealant like Modge Podge seemed to be the most common method. We gathered up some nice smooth stones and got to work.  

We paint a lot of different things on our rocks: flowers, hearts, butterflies, uplifting words and phrases. I've made a couple Minions and some Harry Potter themed rocks. I have found I really enjoy painting rocks, it's a bit therapeutic.

Rock painting, a fun family activity

Now we keep a small basket of finished rocks on a shelf near the front door and anytime we're headed out somewhere that might be good for hiding some, we grab a few. Popular places include parks, playgrounds, walking trails, and shopping plazas. 

Since our first rock, we have found quite a few more. We found a ladybug rock outside Dollar General, and just last week, we found two at the head of a trail we were hiking on at the park. I love seeing all the different rocks and ways people decorate them. We have some fantastic local artists!

Rock painting/hunting


I really love this fun community activity. It's like an Easter egg hunt year round! It gets my kids out, and excited for walks and hikes in the park. It's also given us a really fun hobby when we're stuck at home.

If you want to join in the fun, just do a quick facebook search for groups with your areas name followed by "Rocks". Most likely there are already active groups in your area (we've found 3 different groups around here). If you can't find an already established group, consider starting your own!



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