The Kindness Rocks Project

Wanted to share a really inspiring project a friend did at her school!

Last winter, our community was very saddened to hear of the tragic death of a little girl in our area.   As a result, a Facebook page (Regan’s Act of Kindness) was set up in her honor.

On the page it reads:
“Regan’s acts of kindness is a campaign started to make sure that Regan and her smile are never forgotten and to continue to spread the smiles that she so easily was able to put on the faces of every person she encountered.”

My friend was inspired by this kindness campaign and was looking for a way to honor Regan’s memory with her first graders.

On Pinterest, she came across the The Kindness Rocks Project and decided it was a perfect fit!

She shared the story and her idea with her students and they were very excited to be a part of the project.  Some knew Regan’s story while others were hearing it for the first time.

We are lucky to have a great rock collecting spot nearby, so she gathered over 100 rocks – enough for all the first graders to participate!

 

 

She spray painted them beautiful, bright colors and brought them to school.

 

Since the purpose of the rocks would be to inspire others, the teachers talked about what the word “inspiration” meant and about words that inspired them. Each child then wrote a meaningful message on a rock of their choosing.

The children had no trouble doing this! This was, in part, due to the school’s partnership with The Positivity Project, which is an organization dedicated to empowering our youth to understand and appreciate character strengths in all and promote the idea that “other people matter.”

 

 

 

 

While most used words to write their message, some chose to do with pictures.

 

The rocks were then placed in a central location within the school with a sign that informed students and staff how the rock garden was meant to be used.

Regan’s picture, along with several owl cut-outs and clay sculptures (Regan loved owls!), were placed around the rock garden.

 

The children were so engaged in this project, they even began making and bringing in rocks from home!

 

What neat projects are you planning for next year? What inspires you?

 

Thanks for stopping by!