Kindness Really Does Rock
I can’t think of a better creative project to do with kids that has such a positive and inspiring message! I first learned about kindness rocks about two years ago from my neighbor who was visiting Cape Cod over the summer. He and his family had found some beautifully painted rocks on a beach in Truro, MA, and were so moved by the encouraging message written on them. It turns out these rocks have been making the rounds across Cape Cod for a little while now. They are part of The Kindness Rocks Project – which believes “one message at just the right time can change your entire day, outlook, life…” There’s a great story about how it all began and you can read more here.
As word spread about these rocks a bit more in our town, a member of our community worked hard to officially have The Kindness Rocks Project of Bedford, MA established – to promote kindness, leave a rock for motivation, or take a rock for inspiration. Bedford, MA officially joined The Kindness Rocks Project on 9/19/17 at a designated area between Loomis Road and Great Road. You can check out some amazing inspirational rocks right here in our own little town on Instagram, or on Facebook. Folks in town, young and old, have been creating and scattering some inspirational messages along bike paths, at a corners of a sidewalks, or leave some at local eateries and businesses to share the kindness.
A beautiful picture above captured by the talented @julies_midlife_adventures taken at Bedford Farms Ice Cream
An adventure
We make searching for the perfect rocks to paint an adventure. The kids and I grab our buckets and start out on a hike or just go meandering through the woods near our house. Which ones have the best shape? Which ones have a nice surface for a message? Sometimes if we are visiting my parents in NY we go on a search there as well – NY has some awesome rocks!!
Be an artist
Here comes one of our favorite parts – the painting of the rocks. Any type of permanent arts and crafts paint can do the trick. We actually like to use sharpies and paint pens. That just works better for us right now and isn’t quite as messy. There are so many fun colors too!
The inspiring words
Aaaaaand here comes the best part of all – the message! Think about something you wish someone had said to you when you were feeling down or defeated. What is something positive you can say to someone in need of a little pep talk? I truly feel just a few kind words can drastically change someone’s perspective for the better! It can be one word, it can a sentence, you decide – it’ all good!
The distribution:
I get so happy just thinking of someone finding these at just the right moment. I can tell my kids feel the same way and that totally warms my heart. We keep the adventure going. If it’s s nice day out, we get on our bikes and spread them around town. We even took some on vacation with us to share!
I’m grateful we live in a time where people can find the good and spread some kindness. There’s always someone that can use it, each and every day.