DIY Rock Collection
Did you have a collection when you were younger? I did....I had quite a few but the ones of note were a Shaun the Sheep obsession (everything from toothbrushes, teddies and airfresheners, to keyrings, socks and duvet covers) and also a keyring collection. They were all just linked to each other, so it was one big heavy ball of keyrings that I kept under my bed! There are collections of all different kinds, and they CAN be expensive, but they don't have to be! This one is practically free!
It's surprising just how much kids really love collecting stuff. My son is like most kids nowadays, in love with technology and usually has his nose stuck to a tablet or video game, so I wanted to bring his attention to what's beyond his screen...a bit of nature! What a hit! Something so simple, practically free and FUN! He only has two at the moment but he's already planning his next trips to where he can scout out 'that special one stone' to bring home to add to his frame. There are loads of ways to display collections, but here is what we did: Ikea Ribba box frame - £9 Wallpaper sample - Free Stones - Free (the Alton Towers one was from the precious stone section Fools Gold - £3)
Make sure you are getting a box frame deep enough to fit your stones in, we found the Ikea Ribba box frame quite good, and also a good size for a hefty collection!
The card mount inside is quite big, so I trimmed the hole in the centre to make it bigger (for more stones!) I just used a ruler and a scalpel.
Choose a background! I just went to B&Q and picked up a 'sample' of a textured background wallpaper, but you can use wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, material, hessian etc. Cut a piece using the frame backing as a template and stick with pritt stick. Make sure you have enough pritt stick actually left and not start a tutorial finding you run out and then you're frantically scooping the very last bits out of the cap with a knife. Gah.
Lay your mount on top so you can see where to place your stones and hot-glue them into place. Aww 2 lonely little stones!
Get your new little adventurer to write out signs for each stone. Here we are writing where it was found and the year, but you can write whatever you like! Maybe your child might like to name their stones instead...like Harold...or Vera and give them googly eyes :D
All that's left to do is pritt-stick the signs into place and put the frame back together!
I will update again when he's collected more from mother nature :D Give it a go; you'll be surprised just how much they love to collect. My daughter has a fondness for leaves and sticks.....so I may need to get another frame! :D
