Sunday, May 5, 2024
The Kindness Rocks Project is a viral trend where people paint kind and encouraging words on rocks and leave them for others to find. The trend originated in the United States and has spread to other countries.
The Kindness Rock Project began in 2015 when Megan Murphy wrote, “You’ve got this” on a rock and left it on the beach. After a friend found it and expressed how it helped her, she started leaving more rocks with inspirational messages to help others.
As the trend of painting kindness rocks has spread, it has many derivatives but remains true to its original intention of spreading kindness. Photos of the painted rocks and hints of where to find them are commonly shared on Facebook groups.
Rocks are painted as a social-emotional learning activity for kids that is not only beneficial for the children and the recipients who find them, but it’s also a cognitive activity.
Prekindergarten through fifth grade has painted kindness rocks and placed them around the football field, concession stand, and bleachers. As children and adults have found them, they have the option of keeping it, giving it to someone else, or placing it in the Garden of Kindness, which Mr. Marr and her students are in the process of making.
At the end of each nine-week grading period, the teachers of prekindergarten through fifth grade will each choose three students who have shown the most kindness to visit the library to paint kindness rocks that will be placed around the school or in the Garden of Kindness.
The community is welcome to join the kindness project by painting rocks at home and bringing them to school.
For ideas and more information about the Kindness Rock Project, you can visit thekindnessrocksproject.com.
Jonesboro ISD is located at 14909 E. State Hwy. 36.
