My daughters wanted to participate in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement that is happening around the world. We crafted these BLM rocks to jump start conversations with other kids.
In the past, I have taken them to protests to voice our opinion. Lately, the city where we live, Seattle has been tear gassing peacefully protesting children. Also troubling, recently a terrorist drove through a crowd, then shot a gentlemen who had been peacefully protesting.
We brainstormed other ways we can help create change. Other than participate in a protest, we wanted to bring the unfair systematic racism conversation into our community.
We decided to add BLM rocks to a local area park. They were placed close to the sidewalk, to be seen & taken as conversation starters for other kids.
Rocks make a smooth, and inexpensive, surface to decorate, once a base paint is added to them. We have used rocks before to show appreciation, learn about flags, and other Islamic cultures.
Below are the steps to how we made them, in hopes that others will do the same to start other similar conversations. I received the supplies for my role at Plaid Ambassador.
Supplies
- Paintbrushes (1 – wide 1 – thin)
- Flat rock
- Acrylic paint – white, black, pink, red
- Mod Podge (Optional: to protect your rocks if they are outside)
We took this flat rock from under our deck, so first we watched it with soap and a deep brush to remove any dirt particles. Once it was dry, my daughter added a coat of white paint, waited for it to dry, then added a second layer.
I helped her write the letters BLM on the rocks with the thin brush and black paint. After a few of them, I drew the letters in pencil & my daughter gave it a try by painting over the lines. Pretty soon, she was painting the letters directly on the rocks by herself.
And the final step was to add some heart shapes around the letters using red and pink paint. My daughter made these by using the thin paintbrush to make the letter V.
If your rocks are going to be inside, you are done. However, if you are going to put your rocks outside in a garden, make sure to add a sealant to help protect the paint. I also made one extra rock that said TAKE ONE to make sure kids (and their caregivers) knew they were gifts.
Check out this Racial Justice: Resources for Teaching Children list from Multicultural Kid Blogs if you need help in ways to jump start your conversation or these resources on our blog
Visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterest for more educational resources.
