A low-tech global trend involving playing hide-and-seek with painted rocks has come to Greater Sudbury.
People paint a small rock with a picture or a message, and hide it in a public area. They then post a photo of the rock and the general area where they hid it on social media so others can find it.
The game is particularly popular with kids this summer.
Sudburian Jessica Somers started the Sudbury Hidden Rocks Facebook page last week, and several people have already posted photos of their painted rocks.
“I had a little child that found a little ladybug the other day at the complex here in the Valley,” she said.
“It was the first rock found, and she was so ecstatic. She told her mom 'We have to contact this lady, and we have to meet her.'
“It gave me a little boost. Like 'Oh my goodness, I am inspiring these kids not only to have creativity, but I'm giving them hope.'”
Somers said she's been painting rocks for years as part of a side business. She also runs a home daycare, as do a couple of relatives who live nearby.
Every now and then, she hides some of her painted rocks in a local park, and they bring all the kids there and have them do a treasure hunt.
Given she was already doing the hidden rocks project on a small scale with the daycare kids, she figured it would be fun to open up the game to the entire community.
If you'd like to hide a rock, there's a printable document on the Facebook page that people can glue to the underside of rocks. It contains the Sudbury Hidden Rocks Facebook address so people can find out more about the project.
And if you happen to find a painted rock you can leave it where it is, bring it to another location, hide it again and post a new photo, or even keep it, if you like.
To get in on the game, join the Sudbury Hidden Rocks Facebook page.
