Beware of colourful rock snakes popping up in Red Deer parks and playgrounds.
The first “snake” was created by kids in the Red Deer Child Care summer program at Father Henri Voisin School in Clearview Ridge.
Since mid-July, the K to Grade 5 children have painted rocks with as much — or little detail — as they wanted, then sealed them with a spray varnish, and stacked them into long, snake-like formations in the school’s playground.
Jessie Collings, an out-of-school community and family co-ordinator for Red Deer Child Care (RDCC), came across this creative rock snake idea when she saw it posted on the Alberta Association of Early Childhood Development’s Facebook page.
She said the aim is to get kids collaborating on a project with other children and, “no screens.”
Collings hopes other members of the wider community will help extend the snake in Clearview Ridge — as well as start making their own rock snakes at their schools or their own neighbourhoods.
Kisa Davies, out-of-school care program lead with the RDCC summer progam, feels the best thing about the project is it’s for all ages. Even the youngest kids can add some designs onto rocks and help make the snake.
The 40 kids in the summer care program happening at Father Henri Voisin school have been gradually adding to their creation, choosing to make the serpent wider at the expense of being long, so the rock snake is only about two feet in length at the moment, said Davies.
But she noted it was recently moved closer to the corner of Carrington Drive and Clearview Drive so is more visible to the neighbourhood. She hopes other people will see it and help extend the snake.
Kids in Red Deer Child Care’s summer program recently spotted a few new rocks that had been painted and added by other people in the community. “They lost their minds” with excitement over it, knowing no one in their program had painted these particular rocks, added Davies.
“They are very excited that a few were added by the community,” so she hopes more people will participate in the project.
