How to make a pet rock. Maintenance free and your kids will love them!

You will need:

• Smooth rocks of various sizes  
• Acrylic/craft paint-different colours including white
• Glue
• Decorating items such as googly eyes, fake fur, pom poms
• Permanent markers – different colours
• Paint brushes (various sizes)
• Spray sealer or varnish

To make

1. Help your kids to decide which animal or creature they want to create, and then choose a suitable rock.  

2. Find pictures of animals and mystical creatures to help them to decide – or they can create their very own creatures.

3. Start with a base coat of white paint and allow to dry completely. This will make sure the topcoat of paint sticks.  

4. Using a large paintbrush, paint the rock in the colours of your animal or creature and use a smaller brush for the details, such as eyes, spots, stripes etc.  

5. You can also use permanent markers if you prefer.

6. When finished (and before adding any extras such as googly eyes, pom poms or ‘hair’) use spray sealer or varnish to protect the painted surface of your pet rock.  

7. Once completely dry, add your extra decoration.

8. While your pet rock can spend time outside, it will deteriorate after a while, so these are best kept as indoor pets!

You could also make a family of pet rocks, or create a house, garden, or mystical land for them to live in as a project for another day.

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