Step 7- Hiding the rocks.

RockThoughts suggest that you hide the rocks someplace in public for other to find and add to the story.  After speaking with the Rock Thought Staff, I decided to start these rocks out a bit differently.

I emailed the staff at the three elementary schools that feed into our middle school.  I had staff from each school participate and they all worked on the project differently.  I provided a worksheet for the elementary student to help them participate.  This also helped teachers know when they needed the lab for looking up the rocks and typing the stories.  Click here to see the worksheet.


Otsego Elementary:

I asked student to meet me at the school at 4:30.  We had plans to hide the rocks in the front garden of the school.  I thought this would be safe because there was not lawn mowers to catch a rock here.  Mrs. Matchinsky was kind enough to give this project a try.  After finding the rocks, she asked her students to go home and write the stories with their parents.  I loved this idea.  Anything to facilitate parent interaction!



Hassan Elementary:

You can't really tell by this picture, but it was going to rain soon and a hard rain at that... These kiddo's helped me hide the rocks in the media center of the school.  This was really nice for the teachers to find the rock amongst the books of the library.  Mrs. Wallin and Ms. Silva of Hassan Elementary both participated.  Their classes found the rocks and re-hid the rocks for the other group. When finished, the rocks were taken and placed all over the community by the last class who worked on them.

And my dear Rogers Elementary:

Many of you might remember that RES was my home for the past seven years so the teachers there are friends.  All the 4th and 5th grade participated, several of the kindergarten classes helped, and Mrs. Wilhem (the new art teacher) all worked on rocks.  What a great treat to do a project with these ladies again.  The rocks were found and hid several times thought out the last couple of weeks of school.  They reported that the kids started steeling the rocks at night when they would come to the school for sports.  I never advocate steeling but it made me smile a bit because the rocks were just that popular.  Again, the last classes to write the stories got to take the rocks home and hide them someplace in the community.

Finally, I did a special group of rocks with my art class.  These rocks will be heading out with my coworkers from RMS.  I am asking teachers who are traveling this summer to take a rock and hopefully get a picture of the rock where they hide it, and send the pictures back our way.  I know we have teachers going to New York, Washington, China, and more...

Who knows, maybe one of you will find a RMS rock:)