Never afraid to be the last to embrace a trend, we have started painting and decorating rocks to hide in local parks.

We were in Hervey Bay for the school holidays a few weeks ago when we noticed that at all the local parks there were kids with rocks. Rocks in baskets so colourful they looked like Easter eggs. Rocks being hidden. Kids lurking around play equipment until we left and then rushing over to hide something underneath. Kids jumping out of cars and running around parks yelling, “I can’t find any! Where should I look?”

We wondered what was going on, and an internet search showed the local paper had published on article on rock hunting just before the school holidays. On our last day there we came across a playground that must have just had a rock drop because we found some treasure!

We re-hid half of these and took the rest to re-hide in Brisbane, although some have since become favourites that can’t be let go.

When we got back we bought paint and permanent markers and gloss spray… and I also bought a bag of rocks. Bought rocks are much smoother than what we could find at home and I also felt weird about taking rocks (although these bought rocks were also taken from somewhere, I realise).

This was our first hiding effort in a local park. We have hidden in a few more parks since then, although other kids have arrived just after and my children have proudly taken them on a personal rock hunting tour, so that takes the surprise out but they get to see how happy a surprise decorated rock can make someone. A parent did post saying that her two year old found a rock we left and is convinced it is a dinosaur egg and is sleeping with it under his pillow.

Sometimes we are still working on empathy towards others, so this is a fun way to demonstrate giving to others without expectation of receiving in return. We are having a lot of fun with our rocks!