We've only been out of school for a couple of weeks, and the kids are already bored! It's going to be a long summer. Yesterday, we busted out our Pet Rock Tic-Tac-Toe games from our Family Reunion. I think the rocks turned out so cute! Want to make some of your own? This project is bound to keep your kids busy--for a few days at least!
Pet Rock Tic-Tac-Toe
My sister-in-law, Susan, was the brains behind this project. She and her dad made all the tic-tac-toe boards by sawing a tree trunk into disks. I love that some of them cracked and looked weathered. You can make the boards out of anything you'd like. I've seen them on mini chalkboards, but you could even just draw chalk lines on the sidewalk.
Here's what you need for the project:
- Small smooth stones
- Craft paint in at least two colors
- A black bullet-point permanent marker (I like Sharpie or Bic.)
- Googly eyes (the self-adhesive type are great, but if you can't find them, you'll need craft glue or a glue gun)
- Paint brushes
- Paper plates
- Cups of water and paper towels for cleaning out the brushes
- Bored children (I have lots of those at my house if you need to borrow a few!)
Now for the fun part: Painting!
We made these at a family reunion, and even the youngest kids got in on the fun.
- Let each child choose ten rocks, a plate, paintbrush and two colors of paint.
- Begin by painting five rocks one color and five rocks the other color. (Send the kids to play while the paint dries.)
- Once the paint is dry, use the sharpie to add details to the bugs, monsters or whatever your kids come up with!
- Finally, add the eyes. Once my youngest had seen my one-eyed monster, there was no way any of her monsters were going to have two eyes! Mike Wazowski--eat your heart out! (Too bad we didn't have any green paint!)
Now all that's left is to find a game board and get playing! Here are some ideas for boards:
- A mini chalk board or dry erase board
- A paper plate
- The sidewalk
- A sheet of card stock or paper
- Lines in the dirt
- Be creative!
Have fun!
Looking for some other ideas to keep your kids busy this summer? Try some of these. (Images are linked.)
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll be back soon.
Tara Brelinsky
fun idea for my kiddos. I pinned it.
Heidi
Thanks, Tara! I hope the kiddos love it!
Joyce
I LOVE these! The little bugs are delightful. This would keep kids busy for a long time - and then they can come back and play for even more fun. Nice quiet time activity - even in the car.
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Joyce. I think that's what I like the best. The painting is fun, but then they can use them again another day. (Congrats on the coming grandbaby!)
Jennifer @Making Our Life Matter
What a cute idea! My kids are teens now, but we have a little boy next to us that is almost 3, and I bet he would have a lot of fun with it!
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Jennifer. It is a fun project. I have one almost-teen. It'll be interesting to see how the projects change as my kids get older. One friend says she is going to put this in babysitting kits for her daughters.
Betsy @ BPhotoArt
What a great idea! I pinned this for later. My toddler just started learning tic tac toe :)
[email protected]
Thanks, Betsy. It's probably not ideal for a toddler (because of the tiny googly eyes), but it will sure be fun for later!
Clare @ Super Mommy Club
I love this! I can't wait for my kiddos to adopt a pet rock, and when they do I'll be making this game for them to play together!
Heidi Fowler
I hope they have fun, Clare!
Krista
Oh my goodness my 6 year old is going to love love love this. He is into tic tac toe right now and would love making his own pet bugs. Going on our to-do list & pinning! Thanks so much for sharing this at Wake Up Wednesday!
Heidi Fowler
I'm so glad, Krista! I hope you have a lot of fun making the bugs and playing together. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Megan
Such a cute idea! My kids would love to paint these and now that the weather is warmer in PA we can head outside to pick our rocks and paint them! Fun!!
Heidi
Glad that the weather has warmed up, Megan. It's definitely time to get out and have some fun! I hope your kiddos like this project.
[email protected]
Love this idea! So clever and adorable :)
Heidi
Thanks, Bella. The kids had a lot of fun.
Grace
How funny! This is a cute idea :)
Heidi
Thanks, Grace. So much more fun than Xs and Os!
Tori
These are too cute Heidi! I will be featuring them on Do Tell Tuesday this week!! Thanks for sharing :)
Heidi
Thanks so much, Tori! You made my night!
Steph @ Crafting in the Rain
How cute are these! I HAD to pick them as a feature for Do Tell Tuesday :) Stop by today's post to pick up a featured button, and thanks for linking up!
Heidi Fowler
Thanks so much for the feature, Steph! You made my day!
Sarah Mueller
Ok - I am totally doing this with my kids - super cute! We're featuring you at Family Fun Friday this week at Happy and Blessed Home. Thanks for sharing :)
Heidi
I hope you and your kids love it, Sarah! Thanks so much for the feature! You made my day!
Tara @ Anything & Everything
How cute is this! What a great idea for the kids. I bet they loved it.
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Tara. It was a big hit. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Evelyn @ My Turn for us
My Grandkids would love this!! But of course I love it too!! Pinned and will be sharing on FB later today as one of the features at Freedom Fridays!!
Hugs my Friend!!
Heidi Fowler
Thanks so much Evelyn! You made my night.
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes
Such a cute project! We're featuring you at this week's Freedom Fridays! :)
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Jamie! I always love linking up at your party.