Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Not Just Cute

Whole Child Development

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here.

Rock Rumble – Shake Painting with Rocks!

August 13, 2009 by notjustcute Filed Under: Create, Learning through Play and Experience 6 Comments

 Here’s a fun and noisy way to paint without much of a mess.

DSCN2124

 To start, you need large containers with lids, paper, and paints (I used craft paint just because I had it and need to use it up.  It’s more permanent on clothes, but most of  the mess stays inside the cans, and I was doing this on a messy clothes day anyway.  You could certainly use the more friendly tempera paint.)  Oh, and you’ll need rocks!  Lots of little rocks.  Doing this activity outside is certainly helpful!

DSCN2125

 Slide the paper into the canister (you may need to trim to fit), and drop in a handful of small rocks.  Some children love picking out each individual rock. 

 

DSCN2126

 Drop in a few colors of paint onto the rocks, seal the lid, and then, with one hand on the lid and one hand on the bottom, have the children shake, rattle, and roll.  (Though for literal rolling, be sure they don’t have larger rocks inside, and that they’re not kicking it.  These two factors can lead to the lid popping off.)

DSCN2127

When the children are done shaking, take out the paper for a cool look at how the rocks transferred the paint!

DSCN2129

As a fun by-product, you also get some really uniquely painted rocks.  Set them all out to dry.  If you’re doing this out in the summer sun, it shouldn’t take too long!

This activity fosters creativity as well as large motor skills.  It would be a great activity to use in a unit on rocks, sound, or colors.  It’s also just a great outdoor art activity.  So shake things up and try painting with rocks!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Comments

  1. TheBargainBabe says

    August 29, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    I found this idea on pinterest. 🙂 I love what you have done here, it looks like so much fun! I will have to dig out paints and containers and let my kids have a go at it! Thank you for sharing. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Stephanie Park says

    March 31, 2013 at 10:47 pm

    Thank you for posting this wonderful idea. I am sharing this in my latest blog.

    http://simpleplanner.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/you-rock-my-world/

    Reply
  3. Missy @ Dot-to-Dot Connections says

    January 27, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    What a great idea! I especially love the mess free part 😉 Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Making story stones in preschool | Teach Preschool says:
    August 28, 2011 at 7:16 pm

    […] Rock Rumble by Not Just Cute […]

    Reply
  2. What's in My Art Closet: Five Favorite Supplies - Not Just CuteNot Just Cute says:
    July 24, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    […] Beautiful Junk:  Back in the day when I taught at a university lab school, we had an entire closet space labeled “Beautiful Junk”.  Today I have a shelf or two of my own with cardboard tubes, empty oatmeal canisters, and styrofoam bricks that once accompanied something precious in the mail.  Anything that can be repurposed into a creative project finds a temporary landing spot here before being incorporated into a sculpture, a marble track, or being used for shake painting. […]

    Reply
  3. You ROCK My World! | Simple Planner says:
    March 31, 2013 at 8:42 pm

    […] Rock Rumble Painting @ notjustcute.com […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

search this site

Privacy & Cookies: This site may use cookies to customize your experience. Learn more by reading our Privacy Policy.

I’m Amanda Morgan. Here’s what I’m about…

In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

Content Copyrighted (2008-2025), Amanda Morgan, All Rights Reserved

Get Our Newsletter & Developmental Guide

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · Swank WordPress Theme By, PDCD

 

Loading Comments...