It’s a bright and sunny day, and you’re enjoying a nice stroll in the park. As you walk the path, you notice something a bit out of sorts — a giant strawberry. You take a closer look, only to find that it isn’t a strawberry at all.

In fact, it’s a rock.Glancing around, you notice troops of kids searching through the grass, calling out if anyone has found any cool rocks yet. What exactly is going on here?You’ve just stumbled upon Carbon County Rocks.Combining artistic expression, treasure hunting, and social media, the program is one of many such games that have become popular across the country.“I found three rocks the other day without even trying,” Emily Gombert, 10, said. “I’ve been telling my friends all about it.”So, in the world of nearly infinite television options, video games, and other forms of entertainment, how did a group of people manage to get kids excited about going outside for a rock hunt?“Well, one of my best friends live in Jersey, and she added me to a site she was on,” organizer Karissa Mitchell said. “I told her it looked like fun and said I wanted to do it up here, I just didn’t want to be a copycat. She influenced me to do it because it was being done all over the world. Disney World was even doing it! I figured that with all the bad things that are happening in the world today, what better way to bring our communities together and do fun things with kids and/or families?”Participants decorate a rock in any fashion they please — as long as it’s appropriate for children, of course — and hide it after taking a photo and posting it on the group’s Facebook page. Hunters who locate the rock post their own photos, and proceed to hide it again.“It’s just like a year-round Easter Egg Hunt,” new participant Charles Worthington said.The group seems to be taking off rapidly, with over 1,500 members so far. Mitchell said that she initially expected a few hundred people to participate, but that she is thrilled with the response, especially from enthusiastic children.“It’s fun. I’ve painted a lot of rocks. My favorite was a Minion,” Ayden Collins, 8, said.In addition, co-organizer Amy Collins said that it gets the kids out to explore their own communities, instead of staying inside all summer.“A lot of the time, kids and parents hide them in or around monuments in town, buildings that they may not have even noticed before,” Collins said. “It gets them in different parks, different areas around town, and different towns in general. It gets them out of the house, it gives them something to do, and they love it.”Even adults are jumping in on the activity, Many parents love to connect over a creative outlet with their children. Plus, the grown-ups can treasure hunt even while they’re on the way to work.“I walked into work one day, and I saw a painted rock in the rock garden in front of the bank,” Renee Biechy said. “I though, ‘Who has been painting these rocks?’ I turned it over, saw ‘Carbon County Rocks,’ and thought, ‘This is pretty cool.’ Just the other day I found a ladybug rock, too.”As a creative outlet and exercise opportunity, Carbon County Rocks certainly takes the cake — and yes, there have been cake rocks. Designs range from cute kittens to creepy eyeballs, and just about everything in between.Local businesses are even getting in on the action, including Sellers Books and Fine Art in Jim Thorpe.“We’ve just found out about it. It’s a fun project, and I’ve always loved treasure hunts. We’ve got something in the works,” owner Randall Sellers said.The craze has gotten so popular that Collins and her family even found themselves participating while they were on vacation.“We’ve been camping all week, and all I’ve been doing is painting rocks. I love it, it really brings the community together. Sometimes, we hide rocks, and kids find them not even two minutes later,” Zoe Arnold, 17, said.So if you happen to be looking for an artistic but active game to entertain the kids for the remainder of the summer and beyond, collect some rocks, bust out the paint, and get going.“It doesn’t cost much to do. All you need to buy is paint, and a lot of us with kids already have it. I’ve even seen crayons, markers, etc. used as well. It’s so wonderful to see kids outside, looking around for rocks and hiding them. You see them happy, smiling, and laughing,” Mitchell said.