DARKE COUNTY — An accidental discovery on a family vacation led Andria Haworth to enrich the Darke County Cloverbud Club with a new activity.
Haworth is the Darke County Junior Fair Dog Committee President, Assistant Secretary of the Dog Barn and the Organizational Advisor of the Canine Capers 4-H Club. Haworth and her family were visiting relatives, in Florida, when they came across some hidden colored rocks. They flipped them over and saw a Facebook page address.
“In their hometown, they were hiding rocks, posting the found rocks on-line and re-hiding them,” Haworth said. “My kids really enjoyed looking for them and they wanted to do the activity back home.”
After returning from vacation, Haworth suggested the activity to some Clover Bud advisors. They liked the idea and then it went before County Extension Director, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, OSU Extension of Darke County Rhonda Williams, who gave permission for the activity to take place, and it took off from there, Haworth said. In March, the Darke County 4-H “Cloverbud Rocks!” was born. Originally, the 4-H Clover Buds painted a bunch of rocks and went out and hid them. But soon it became popular with other clubs and individuals.
“It was really meant to spread across all of Darke County, and we have seen evidence of that so far,” Haworth said.
The painted rocks with inspirational messages are placed in parks and public walking/hiking paths in the county. For those who come across the rocks, log onto the Facebook Group “Darke County 4-H Cloverbud Rocks.” Once there, take a picture of the rock and find a new area to hide the rock. It is optional to give clues where the rock is hidden.
Haworth gave some tips on painting the rocks. Use natural river rocks or something similar; sand them to create a smooth surface; avoid using rocks with a film, since the paint might not stick; coat rocks with a flat or satin house paint; acrylic paints work fine and are cheap; sharpie markers work too; after the rock has dried, write on the back with a sharpie “Facebook: Darke County 4-H Cloverbud Rocks” and apply a sealer to preserve the rock.
According to Haworth, “Cloverbud Rocks!” is meant to inspire people to venture out and explore our county’s beautiful parks and walking trails.
“I think just getting kids excited about some of the simple activities, such as going back to more of a hide and seek type of thing, is what this is all about,” Haworth said. “We want the kids to get out there and enjoy it, enjoy nature and not always be stuck to a cell phone or gaming system. To join the Darke County 4-H Cloverbud Rocks! movement, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/278793642533944
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