Story Stones

When I realized that I was going to be going to Arizona, I wanted to make up something to give to my friend for her kids. I'd had this idea in the back of my mind for a long time, but had never done anything with it. With summer looming, I realized that these Story Stones might just be a good way to keep her kids busy!

 This project is really very simple and a lot of fun! You could even get your kids involved with making it!

 All you need is:

Glass stones

(from Dollar Tree, the big ones. I bought two bags, around 30-40 stones)

A Glue stick

Mod Podge or Elmer's Glue

a foam brush

variety of small pictures

For my pictures, I went online and did clip art searches for everything from food, to animals, clothes to toys. I copied and pasted them into a publication and printed them up (each picture should be around an inch, but you can measure your stones to be sure!).  You could technically use stickers, but I like putting the picture on the underneath of the stone rather than to the top. When they are face up, the stone acts as a magnifying glass for the picture!

Step One:

Once your pictures are cut out, take your glue stick and put a bit of glue on the flat bottom of the stone. Place your picture face up onto the stone (in other words, the picture side will be stuck to the glue).

Do this one at a time, setting them aside to let the glue dry.

Step Two:

Put a dab of Mod Podge or Elmer's Glue on the back of the stone (I do a few stones at a time, it goes faster, but don't do too many. In the time it takes to get through them all, the glue can soften and warp the picture). Using your foam brush, spread the glue smoothly onto the back of each stone. Set them aside to dry.

Step Three:

Once the stones are dry, repeat Step Two. This gives it a nice seal. By the time I got through all of the stones (I made around 30-35), the first ones were dry and I was able to repeat the process right away. After the second coat, they will take longer to dry.

Step Four:

Give them to your kids and let their imaginations run wild! The older kids can write short stories based off of the stones,  and the younger ones will enjoy looking at all of the bright colors and pictures!

Happy gluing!