The painted stones craze has now hit Banstead! Reports emerged last year in the national press about the craze and GetSurrey recently wrote about how it had taken off in the county. Now these little beauties are popping up all over the place locally.
Painted stones – create, hide and find
A lovely pastime for children, it simply involves getting a stone decorating it and then hiding/placing it so others can find it. Finders can keep the stones but re-hiding is best so more people can share in the fun. Anyone finding a painted stone is encouraged to post pictures of their discoveries on Facebook.
What you need
Not a lot…
- Stones – You need stones that are smooth and rounded. If you don’t live near the beach you can often find them on woodland walks or can buy them from garden centres.
- Acrylic paint/paint pens/nail varnish
- Paint brush
- Sharpie pen (for writing message on the back)
- PVA glue to seal/varnish
What to do
- Give your stones a wash and pat dry
- Prime with some watered down acrylic paint
- Get designing with your paints or nail varnish or paint pens
- Paint the Facebook “f” and include the hashtag #BansteadRocks
- Seal/varnish by painting on PVA glue
Banstead Rocks
Our first two ‘Banstead Rocks’ finds
There is now an official Banstead Rocks Facebook page where people post pictures of their handiwork and their finds. It’s really captured the local area’s imagination.
“Banstead and its surrounding areas are pretty incredible, so let’s join together to spread love around SM7 & the surrounding area. Creativity has no limits! The goal is simple – Have fun creating art and then bring joy to someone else by sharing it. Use this to brighten someone’s day, send a needed message, or just to spread joy. Join us and have some fun! It is also helpful for getting the children out and about instead of glued to iPads or Games consoles!!”
In need of inspiration?
Anything goes, but if you need some inspiration there are quite a few books out there and even one specifically targeted at children – Stone Painting for Kids: Designs to Spark Your Creativity
2 Comments
Thank you for posting this! It’s a great idea to captivate little and big hearts and minds alike
Proof that simple, non-techie things still excite children! This is a lovely idea too: Surrey Hidden Books