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Pet Rocks - Fun Activities for Kids

Pet Rocks are authentic, beautiful and simple. You can name them, display them or use them as a paper weight.

The process is simple:

1. Begin by finding the perfect rock.
2. Paint it with regular paint.
3. Wait for the paint to dry.
4. Draw eyes, mouth and nose with a permanent marker and add hair if you like.

This year for Father's Day we created Gem Rocks or Treasure Rocks. After we painted the rocks we added gems, sparkles and glitter paint. The fathers loved their new pet so much it now decorates their office desks and night tables.

Step One: Paint

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Step Two: Decorate

The Final Product

While these are awesome hand made gifts I found this nifty USB Pet Rock on Amazon.

The History Behind The 'Pet' - A Million Dollar Idea

Back in 1975 Gary Dahl, an advertising executive, was sitting in a bar listening to his friends complain about their pets. (Sounds like a beginning of a joke, I know, but this is a true story.)

"What will make the perfect pet?" He thought.

And so the story goes that jokingly he suggested a rock as a pet. After all, a rock does not require any of your attention, it's cheap and will never die.

Soon after Dahl began to take his 'joke' seriously and turned a rock into a pet. The new pet came along with a cleverly written "instruction manual" and in a box with holes just like a real pet.

And just like any good advertising executive Dahl began selling these 'pets' and people were buying them.

This fab lasted for about six months... long enough to make Dahl a millionaire!

Today it is difficult to find any of the original pets but you can either make your own or buy this 21st century digital one: