Brainerd Family Fun: Rock Painting Party

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Welcome back to Art Thursdays of my B.R.E.A.T.H.S. blog where I invite you into Brainerd’s Brushstrokes and Photography studio. This is a space where I share my art. For the four weeks this July, I will be doing art and craft projects with my family then sharing our creations! 

Brainerd Family Fun

For the first week, we made citronella candles. This second week, we explored rock painting and hiding. Grab some supplies and come join us! 

Rock Painting Party

Step 1: Search for Supplies (most we had around the house, except paint pens)

• Flat, smooth rocks (our were donated by a lady at a garage sale last week)

• Acrylic paint brushes

• Acrylic paint for base coat

• Acrylic paint pens to write loving messages and add details

• Optional: Gloss finish acrylic spray sealer  (we had some but didn’t use it), wiggly eyes, hot glue gun

Step 2: Set Up Painting Station (outdoor was the perfect set up for us)

• Rocks, Brushes, Paints, Sealer

• Cup or bucket of water for soaking brushes and washing palettes after use

• Art towel

• Paper (newspaper, paper bag, or butcher paper) for rocks to sit while painting and drying (we found parchment paper that worked)

• We used the bucket of water and towel to wash the rocks

Step 3: Paint Base Coat, Then Add Details (Kids wanted to paint details all at once)

• Grab desired base color and rock

• Paint base coat on rock

• Let sit to dry for about 20 minutes, paint base of new rocks while waiting

• Add messages and details with paint, paint pens, or in our case wiggly eyes were a hit

Step 4: Go on a Adventure Walk to Hide the Rocks

• The most difficult part for the kids was picking rocks to give away, they wanted to keep them all

• We agreed it would be fun to hide some at the two grade schools down the street

• The kids had a blast hiding their rocks and were too excited to wait for people to find them, so they showed them where to look

• We overheard the parent suggesting the kids rehide the rocks for someone else to find and they begrudgingly agreed

Conclusion on Rock Painting Party

This art project was easy and exciting for the kids ages 7 to 11. We had most of the supplies on hand but we did order a set of acrylic pens that were really handy to add more colorful details. We spent the better part of our day painting, playing, and having a blast. This is definitely a Summer art activity we will repeat often.

July 13, 2023 Daily Motivation Draw 

I set up a small outdoor altar on a small round glass and metal table with a candle, fresh-picked raspberry and blueberry, The Sacred Medicine Oracle Card Deck, a palo santo stick, and a lighter. I lit the candle, lit the stick, and I read the invocation from the guidebook and waved the stick in the directions I was speaking of. I shuffled the deck three times, cut the deck in half, and draw that center card asking:

• Daily Draw Question: “What medicine is being invited into my life so that I may thrive?”

• The card I drew: 17 – Sacred Tears – Expression

• Message integration:This card invites me into the healing space of tears, it is time to release the tears I have swallowed or held back (Frost, 2023). Raw emotions are expressions of love and “as we deeply feel, we can truly heal” (Frost, 2023, p. 52). Releasing these tears into the earth blesses the world with my medicine that was passed down from generations to help heal the past, present, and future (Frost, 2023).”

• Healing affirmation: “I attend to my sacred spaces with care, and they hold the vibration that is best for me.”

• Personal insight: I find it interesting that I draw the expression card on an art day. What else is interesting, that most people do not know about me, is that I cry when I meditate, pray, speak to Source. It flows naturally and feels as if I am being covered in blessings from my ancestors. This card calls to my deeper tears, sacred, healing tears, the ones that have been stuck in my throat holding back my truths. It is time to release them…

Thank you for reading and viewing,

Dr. Jaime Brainerd, Ed.D.

Reference:

Frost, A. (2023). The sacred medicine oracle card deck & guidebook. Hay House, Inc.