Two days each week I work in a professional office setting and work with adults in my field. I thoroughly enjoy my job and am thankful that, while I’m at work, my in-laws are taking good care of my children. If I am being completely honest, the two days I spend working in the professional setting are far easier than the other days I spend as a stay-at-home Mom. Don’t get me wrong. . . I love being home with my kids. It is just, shall we say, challenging for me. I’ll tell you why.
I really do want to keep my kids minds fresh and keep them engaged and trying new things. I want to do what I can to help them to think and act and express themselves creatively. However, I am so far from being Martha Stewart. Creativity does not come naturally to me and finding ways to keep my kids entertained and excited is a difficult feat. I am quite clueless when it goes beyond coloring in a coloring book or drawing with chalk on the driveway. Sad, but true. . . I know.
Anyway, I was quite excited when I found a simple little project recently and was even more excited when the kids enjoyed it and have asked to do it several times since.
Step 1. Rock Hunting
First I told the kids we were going to go rock hunting. Their job was to find smooth rocks on which they could draw.
Step 2. Bake the Rocks
Place rocks on a cooking sheet with wax paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Step 3. Color the Rocks.
Being careful not to handle rocks (they are HOT) use crayons to color. The crayons melt right onto the rocks and it is like painting with paint.
The first time we did this the kids made faces and added eyes, hair, etc. This time they just designed.
See?
Um. That is AWESOME.
Find a really really big box! That always worked for us! 🙂