DelaWhere? Rocks!

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, while waiting patiently in line at a certain Donut Shop in Smyrna this morning, I noticed an out-of-place item sat on the ledge, underneath the Pickup Window...

Curiosity got the better of me- "what is This?" I muttered to my Husband.. We inspected this little treasure...It was a smooth, jet black stone- looked ocean tumbled, except for the fluorescent letters playfully painted on its black acrylic coated exterior,

"PARTY ROCK".

I picked it up- turning it over in my hands, noticed a note decoupaged to the back of this stone;

"I'm not Lost- it's a GAME!

Find us on Facebook to join in!

DelaWhere? Rocks!

Post a pic & RE-HIDE ME!

Use #DERocks #DelaWhereRocks to follow me"

Fie, diddly dee- a FB search for me...

What a Find! A piece of treasure, with a mission.. This is a quote excerpted from the FB Group Description:

"Welcome to DelaWhere? Rocks! Group.

The Original & Official Rock Art Hide-n-Seek Group for the state of Delaware.

It was established after my son, a rock enthusiast found our first rock in Disney World in March of this year, It wasn't just a plain rock, it was a beautifully painted rock, you could tell the person spent a lot of time and love in creating this piece. As we read a tag on the back of the rock, it led us to the original "The Northeast Ohio Rocks!" Facebook group where we learned about how the group was spreading kindness and love through rocks. My family loved what the message is about and decided to start our own! So please even if you're not from that area, go and give them a like and check out some of their members awesome rocks!

Please before posting anything, read the following rules!

*First and above all, be respectful! No rocks containing insulting pictures or language.

*You find a rock, you post a picture of the of the rock, you re-hide the rock. It's that simple.

*No keeping rocks! The point of the group is to share and spread the love. Please re-hide your rock!

If you find a rock that your child just can not part with, feel free to hang onto the rock for awhile but when the excitement has worn off for your little one, please re-hide the rock. The rock was painted to bring unexpected joy and should be re-hid to continue to bring joy to other people.

We are givers, not takers! We give kindness and smiles. Finding and hoarding rocks is absolutely not what this is about. We receive and give back. It is what we do! The issues of keeping rocks has been considered. Rocks should not be kept.

We understand rocks can have sentimental value. If you have painted a rock as a gift for a specific member, please deliver the rock to that member. That member is more than welcome to keep the rock. And, we would love to see the rock and know the story behind the rock.

You should not hide a rock intended for someone to find because it may not be found.

We have so many talented people in our group that paint and hide rocks as a random act of kindness. They absolutely have enough talent to sell their rocks. However, this not in the spirit of giving. We do not allow the buying or selling of rocks or the commission of a painted rock. Any posts or comments discussing the buying, selling or commissioning of a rock will be deleted

*No, politics/political issues, hot topic issues or issues revolving around adult concerns.

*No advertising any company or business.

*Regarding awareness ribbons or cause logos; there are groups who don't allow rocks in support of a cause and I respect their rule. We are supporters of cancer research, childhood cancer in particular, and I believe that if you get at least 1 person looking up a cause in which a member believes in, and learns 1 thing, that's 1 more thing learned that day. So if you'd like to do a rock for a certain cause I certainly encourage as it will hopefully get that person educated on something the may not have know about.

Please NO personal information, like the person's name anywhere on it (I can't proof you'd know the person and I don't want a persons name out there on a rock if a family member wouldn't want it to be).

*No Twitter handles or Facebook links.We are the place to come to get away from that. Our only platform is sharing kindness.They don't have an agenda other than sharing kindness and brightening someone's day.

This is for all ages, abilities and talents levels. You can use paint, chalk, crayons, or sharpies. Try stamping designs or stickers. Remember to protect your artwork and your rock from the elements you have to seal your rock. The sky is the limit to your options! If you're stuck as to what to paint search "painted rock" in Google and Pinterest for ideas. Check out our group for ideas too! Don't worry if someone has painted a ladybug. Paint another!

Gather your inspiration from us. Have fun!!

Make sure that on the back of your rock you direct the finder to our group with our hashtag #delawhererocks so they know what we are all about and ask them to "Re-Hide Me". Attach them to your rock by decoupage. ...

When you find a rock, post a picture to our Facebook page "DelaWhere? Rocks!"

(Posting a picture of the back of the rock is not necessary. It will clog up the wall with pictures of the back of the rock. Thank you!)

You can give hints to where you've hidden your rock like a scavenger hunt. However, even with some similarities, we are not a geocache group. We are a random act of kindness group. If you'd like to leave a painted rock in the cache that would fall under a random act of kindness and is appreciated. Thank you!

The kids look forward to hiding their painted rock and seeing that they have been found when a finder posts a picture to our group. The pictures of your completed rock and the picture of your found rock are an exciting, important part to this process. Please share your pictures! ...

~If there are not rocks in your area to find, please paint and hide rocks.

Please find enjoyment in creating rocks and sharing with others. It is what we do. It is who we are.

Grow your area by becoming a painter and hider. ... Please paint your own rocks.

We are an all ages, all abilities group.

****Tips for hiding DelaWhere? Rocks!

Rocks should be able to be seen. We want them found.

Hide rocks in plain sight. Rocks should catch your eye as you're walking by.

~Hiking/biking trails

~Park Benches

~Picnic Tables

~Outdoor eating areas

~Playgrounds

~Gas Stations

~ATM Machines

~On top (not in) Mailboxes

~In Elevators

~Hand to a Drive Thru Worker

~Hand to a Passerby

~Leave with a Tip

>Respect private property.

>Do not trespass.

>Do not place rocks in places that would be dangerous for the finder to retrieve.

>Do not place rocks in areas that would damage property.

>Do not hide rocks in areas that would cause personal injury.

>Do not hide rocks in grass or other places that are going to be mowed.

>Do not hide rocks in garden or landscaping areas where someone's hard work and loving care would be trampled.

>Do not hide rocks in or around water features. Remember to be respectful of private property and businesses.

>Do not hide rocks inside local businesses without permission.

>Rocks should not be hidden in grocery stores or around any fresh, unsealed food due to health department regulations*****"

(for further Information, including Creation, Tagging and Sealing tips- please, visit the Group directly)

Truly inspired by what I have found, I am compelled to share it with the world via Blog Post- as well as, supporting it locally (and not-so-locally), in our travels!

Party Rock | DelaWhere? Rocks! | SpiralHawk Sanctuary

We hope that this article has inspired you to get involved- get outside, go explore...just never know what amazing things are right under our noses, unless, you Look for them...