As an Early Childhood Educator, when summer approaches I find myself making a list of the resources that I want to make/prepare for the following school year. Well… I have to admit these simple story stones have been on that list for way longer than they should have been.
They are seriously so easy to make and pretty quick as well!!!
BONUS: Story stones are great for school aged children to make on their own and should keep them nice and busy.
....So let’s get to the tutorial!
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- Rocks (Preferably flat surfaced, I purchased mine from Micheals but you could easily go on a nature hunt for some... which is free!)
- Acrylic Paint
- Stickers
- Modge Podge
- Sponge brushes
INSTRUCTIONS:
With a paint brush coat the surface of your rock with paint (colour optional). Most store bought rocks come with a polish on them, therefore the paint helps to act as a primer for the sticker to stay on better over time. You could also use sand paper to take some of the polish off, but I find that the paint works well. You may need two coats of paint depending on the colour of your rock and preference.
Once the paint has completely dried you can then apply your sticker over top of the rock and paint.
With a different sponge brush apply a thin layer of Modge Podge over the complete surface of the rock AND sticker. The Modge Podge will help to seal the sticker to the rock and last longer.
Let your story stones dry for at least 30 minutes before using them.
And there you go, that is all you need to do to make your very own simple story stones!!
Story stones can be used for a variety of activities and learning opportunities such as literacy activities, story re-telling, imaginative play, small world play, letter recognition, sight words, patterns and sorting. The possibilities are truly endless!