I’m always on the lookout for new crafts to do with the boys. You know how it is, you see this super amazing – professional picture of a craft on the Internets only to find out that it was nothing like you expected while actually attempting it with your kids. Don’t worry about it, I got your back.

Welcome to the first craft review on DadvsKids!

This first craft I found is pet monster rocks from Cocoa Bean, it comes with a picture and a very (VERY) short instruction. Now the short instruction is perfectly fine; however, this project is not quite as quick and simple as it makes it sound.

Required materials:

- Medium sized rock(s) about the size of your fist.

- Paint, acrylic or house paint (fun colours and white).

- Paint brushes (You could get away with finger painting in a pinch).

- Black felt marker (Permanent or my favorite a graphic pen).

- Googly eyes.

- White glue.

Step 1: Preparation.

First thing is first. You need to collect your rocks. This in itself was a great adventure for the kids. As it was raining, we grabbed the umbrellas and hit the alleys in search for the perfect rocks. You’re looking for any smooth-ish rocks about the size of your fist. They may be hiding in an alley, ravine, or any area where nature seems to be hiding.

Kids excitement level: Through the roof!

Step 2: Washing the rocks.

Next you might notice that the rocks you procured are covered in more dirt than your kids drag home from the park. You could just throw them in the bath with your kids, but we took 5 minutes to scrub em’ up and let them dry. Get the dirt off now or the paint may not stay on the pets.

Step 3: Start your painting and LEAVE IT ALONE to dry.

Finally your ready to sit down and paint (Your painting over the dirt aren’t you?) Dish out the paints to your kids and let them go to town. My kids had a great time at painting; however, painting rocks is not as easy as it sounds… Light colours did not cover well and the rocks needed a couple of coats to cover everything up. Between coats it took about 30 minutes in the sun on each side to dry and then the rocks stuck to the paper they were drying on. You could try to not paint the bottom but it’s just as easy to touch up later if you want.

At this point, I could feel the kids attention start to drift. We read stories to pass the drying time and I let them run amok while I touched up the bare spots we missed or created from touching them before they were dry. Oh yeah, have I mentioned you should not touch them until they dry?

Kids excitement level: Great until they got to watch paint dry.

Step 4: Adding the features.

This part of the craft went the smoothest, but the one I worried most about. I was worried that they would draw a face they didn’t like then we’d have to repaint and wait an eternity to start over. As it turned out, they loved ‘dressing it up’ by gluing the eyes and drawing the mouth and teeth with the felt marker. I’m glad we went with the marker instead of trying to paint them on, much easier. Once the kids had it drawn, I carefully painted the teeth white for them and it took just minutes to dry that little bit. During that time we chose names and took some pics.

Kids excitement level: Off the charts, lets just say the rocks haven’t left their sides since :)

In conclusion:

The craft was touch and go at times, what I expected to take just an hour or so, ended up taking a total of 3 hours. It will try your kids patience if you need to do several coats, maybe thicker/darker paint as the blue was perfect and the yellow was horrible. If you plan something to preoccupy the kids while they dry you should have no problems… and remember don’t touch it until it is dry for sure!

Cost: Less than $20 – $30. Even cheaper if you have the supplies already from other crafts.

Difficulty: 3/10. Just make sure yo don’t rush it.

Mess: Fair. About 10 minutes to clean up the paints (and table) if you watched the kids.

Should you try it?

What the kids say: YES! They are already looking for more rocks to add to the family!

vs.

What this Dad says: YES. For the work to satisfaction level ratio this is totally worth it and for a few hours well spent, the kids will be talking about this craft for a while. Enjoy being the kids hero on this one.

 

I’d love to hear what you think, leave a comment below.