Outreach for Librarians: Pet Rocks and Painted Pots

Things to think about when making Pet Rocks

• You can purchase a bag of river rocks (which are smooth and easier to paint) at Home Depot for about $10, and you will probably need just one bag.
• While bags of river rocks come in different colors, you may want to get rocks that have a variety of shapes and colors.
• Bags of rocks are heavy!  Ask for help at the store as well as on campus.
• Before the event, you will probably need to wash the stones of any remaining dirt and allow time to air dry.
• Rocks may take a little longer to dry, but students may not be able to wait, so having a paper plate on which to carry their pet rock home can be helpful.

Alternatives: 

You can also have students paint encouraging messages on rocks, but this is best done with rocks with flat surfaces.  If you think you may want to do this activity as well as creating pet rocks, separate out the rocks with flat surfaces for messages and the rocks with more interesting shapes for the pet rocks.

Pet Rocks and Painted Pots

Objective:  Students will be able to paint.  This is really the same event with the same goals – just painting different objects.

Why:  Students exercise creative skills in this Make ‘N Take.

Supplies: 

Terra Cotta pots or river rocks (depending on project), google eyes for pet rocks (optional), school or tacky glue to attached eyes, acrylic paints in various colors, paintbrushes, paper towels, plastic bowls for water, paper plates to hold the paint, tables, chairs, plastic table clothes, brown shipping/wrapping paper or other long rolls of paper to put underneath the tables, rolls of  2-3” tape, scissors for cutting tape and paper, packing tape dispenser (optional)

How To:

Set Up:

• Unroll the lengths of paper and tape down the edges to prevent tripping hazards.  The taped-down paper will make cleanup easier.
• Place tables on top of paper.
• Put down plastic table clothes
• Place unpainted pots and/or rocks on one or two tables
• Have separate tables for painting
• Put 2-3 colors of paint on paper plates.  Hint: Don’t start with a lot of paint because it takes less than you think.
• Place paper plates with paint within easy reach.  You will probably need at least two of each color on a 5-6’ table.
• Place bowls of water for cleaning brushes on the tables.

During the event:

• Assign someone to change out the dirty water for fresh water and to refill the paints.
• Painters will also need access to paper towels to dry off their paintbrushes.
• Optional: Take pictures of completed pots/pet rocks for future marketing.

Things to think about when painting pots

• The size and number of pots will depend on your budget, but medium size pots give adequate work surface, are easy for students to carry with them and should allow for adequate drying before students try to take them home.
• Pots can be purchased at Home Depot for a reasonable price.
• Check each pot for breakage before purchase.
• Sometimes, terra cotta pots have dust on them, and you may want to take a damp paper towel, wipe down the pots, and allow them to dry.