Paw Print Rock Craft for Kids: Family Dinner Book Club

Paint paw prints! A fun rock craft for kids for Family Dinner Book Club.

This month's Family Dinner Book Club selection may be my family's favorite to date. Since our house includes not only my twin boys but also two dogs (and a cat), reading about the adventures of a heroic dog was right up our alley. My boys absolutely loved this book and it inspired us to make a really fun rock craft for kids and dog lovers of all ages!

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Family Dinner Book Club

Family Dinner Book Club is a wonderful way to share a book with your entire family. Each month, my co-hosts and I give you everything you need to create a complete book club experience at home. Jodie from Growing Book by Book shares our book of the month along with book club conversation starters and service projects. Sarah from Chef Sarah Elizabeth gives you a mouth watering themed menu, and I share a book inspired craft.

This month, we are reading Dominic by William Steig. Dominic is a classic chapter book about a free spirited dog who goes in search of adventure - and finds much more than he bargains for. Along the way, he becomes a hero, makes many new friends, and experiences love and loss. It is a modern classic and my boys were immediately hooked. They couldn't wait to go to bed each night (seriously!) so that we could read a little more about Dominic.

Painting Paw Print Rocks

For our Dominic inspired craft, there were two things that I wanted to capture from the book.  I knew that I wanted to do something that involved nature, as Dominic sets out on the open road and often sleeps under the stars. I also wanted to create a craft that would evoke his journey, and the mark that he leaves on the places he goes and the animals he meets. I decided paw prints would be the best way to symbolize his travels, and that we could paint them on rocks! This is a really easy craft that the entire family can participate in. Here's the how to.

To create your own paw print rocks, you'll need:

• Various colors of paint. I used an indoor/outdoor acrylic paint that would work well on the rocks but still clean up easily
• Sponge brushes and a small round paintbrush for the paw print
• Smooth rocks of various sizes (it's a fun family activity to go collect these!)

Rinse any dirt off of your rocks and allow them to dry completely. Set out an assortment of paint colors and your sponge brushes and invite your children to paint the rocks.

They can be as creative as they want - some of ours were a solid color while a few were mixed. They even experimented with dipping the rocks in the paint!

Allow the paint to dry. Then use the round brush (a cotton swab will also work) to draw a paw print on each rock. As you create your paw prints, you can discuss your favorite parts of Dominic's journey, and how he left his own mark on the places he went.

Allow the paint to dry, then use them to decorate your table for Family Dinner Book Club night!

After your dinner, you may decide to place these rocks in your garden or other outdoor space. If you do, I recommend weatherproofing them with a spray sealant.

Complete Your Family Dinner Book Club Experience

Be sure to head over to Growing Book by Book for book club conversation starters and service projects based on Dominic, and then head to Chef Sarah Elizabeth for what is always a delicious book themed menu.

And be sure to share your Family Dinner Book Club photos with us on Facebook. Or share them on Instagram with the hashtag #FamilyDinnerBookClub (be sure to tag me @sunnydayfamily too)!

More Family Dinner Book Club Favorites

Find all of our past Family Dinner Book Club craft ideas here!

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