Spreading Kindness With Rocks

The rock movement has been around for a fair few years now, however, the last year or so they seem to have taken off that much more! So if you haven’t heard of them or want to know more keep reading below about how more and more people are spreading kindness with rocks.

What is it?

A kindness rock is a plain rock that has been pulled from it’s environment and painted beautifully and then rehidden. Usually with words on the back to point whoever finds it to a Facebook community and to let people know to take their newly found rock and rehide it for someone new.

Why?

For most kindness rock groups that are established, the main goal is to spread kindness throughout their communities. To remind people that there can be beauty everywhere, you just need to look for it. For some groups, like “NT Rocks”, this is only one of their goals. Some groups like this one like to see just how far their rocks can make it.

One massive benefit of kindness rocks is that it helps teach children to love and appreciate nature, exploration, creativity, art and fun outdoor play.

How can I get involved?

Here are 3 ways to get involved in the kindness rock community.

1. Create – Become a creator and design some amazing rocks of your own to hide for others.
2. Discover – Get out into the community and start taking notice of little nooks and crannys that a rock could be hidden in. You could also search on your local rock group to find out the areas that people have been hiding their rocks!
3. Spread the joy – Join a local rock group and start sharing the rock movement with your friends and family. Always be sure to rehide a found rock (unless it’s otherwise stated) and be mindful of the groups rules. Share in the group whenever you find and rock and the area that it’s been rehidden in.

Create your own kindness rock

• Use rocks that are not glass or ceramic as they can shatter and cause injury to humans or wildlife.
• Paints that work best are acrylic paints, permanent markers, nail polish and paint pens.
• Write the name of your local rock group on the back with the “F” Facebook symbol so that people know what to do when they find it.
• Make sure to seal your rock once it is done. A spray sealer will work best to protect your work from the elements.
• If your rock group is happy to have the rocks travel outside of the community, be sure to add your postcode so that people can see how far it’s travelled.
• DO NOT add any extra bits and pieces to your rocks. these things are at huge risk of falling off and becoming litter or ingested by our precious wildlife.
• Take a photo of your creation and head out to find the perfect hiding spot!
• Post a photo in your local group with some clues, landmarks, area names and suburb so that people can go hunting for your creation.
• NEVER paint anything offensive on the rocks!
• ALWAYS follow the leave no trace principals as explained below when taking part.

Be responsible- leave no trace!

Most importantly, it’s vital to respect the leave no trace principal. The no trace principal is essentially following clear rules and guidelines (provided by your local group and/or council) about using non-toxic sealants and paints, asking local officials and business owners for permission to leave rocks on their premises, and adopting policies that are respectful of the environment. Most groups also ask that rocks are not left in any national parks. For an interesting and informative article explaining why it’s so important to follow these principals then head over and read Between a (kindness) rock and a hard place by National Parks Conservation Association.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the rock movement, you can start searching for these little gems and discover nature in a whole new way! Keep an eye out for our next blog where we talk to one of the founders of a kindness rock community.