Skip to Content

DIY Pet Rock Adoption & Habitat Craft

Posted on  - Last updated:

If you’re throwing a gemstone-themed birthday party for a sparkle-loving 7-year-old, I’ve got the perfect hands-on craft that combines creativity, imagination, and lots of glittery-sparkle: DIY Pet Rock Adoption & Habitat Making! This DIY craft doubles as both a party activity and a party favor as every guest has something personal and adorable to take home.

Here’s how to create shimmering pet rocks using colorful agate slices, glittery pipe cleaners, and googly eyes, and then build whimsical little homes for them using jars, tiny lights, pillows, and fun, miniature accessories.

You can see the full blog post for her “She’s a Gem!” 7th Birthday Party right here.

DIY Pet Rock and Habitat Craft

Table of Contents show

Step 1: Adopt a Sparkly Pet Rock

Before the party, gather an assortment of colorful agate slices. These smooth, gemstone-like slices come in vibrant colors like teal, purple, hot pink, and gold—perfect for little rock friends.

I found these to be the best, although I did have to return the first box I received due to too many broken pieces. The second box I received only had one broken agate slice.

Next, set up an Adoption Station at the party where each child can choose their rock. Offer a tray of googly eyes (the sillier the better!), pompoms, and glittery pipe cleaners to bend into silly hairdos or tiny crowns. Glue dots make it easy for kids to stick everything in place, but you can also designate a responsible older kid or adult to work a glue-gun station if needed.

The agate slices I purchased were for crafts, so they already had holes drilled in the “top” which was perfect for inserting one end of a pipe cleaner so it stays attached.

Finally, to make the adoption official, hand out “Pet Rock Adoption Certificates” with spaces to name their new gemstone buddy along with other pertinent information such as the rock’s birthday, favorite song, activity, food, etc.

Step 2: Build a Magical Habitat

After adoption, it’s time to build a cozy home! Use clear jars or plastic containers as the rock’s personal “habitat dome.”

Here’s what to include for each jar:

  • Tiny twist-on fairy lights (battery-powered): to light up the inside like a glittery chandelier. Since they simply twist on and off, they’re easy to use. Simply hot glue the base to the inside of the jar lid before the party or have a designated teenager/adult manning a glue-gun station.
  • Mini sewn pillows (made ahead of time or as a party activity if you think the girls know how to do simply sewing): I used scrap upholstery fabric, cotton balls, and yarn to DIY these little pillows ahead of the party. These act as pet rock beds.
  • Croc charms or small trinkets: for “toys” and “decor” inside each habitat. I picked up some Squishmallows, boba drinks, and donuts, but you can pick anything fun and interesting to your kid!

The Croc shoe charms work really well because with the “backings” they can sort of “attach” to the agate slice pet rock.

I used these glass jars since the sides were perfectly circular and the lids were already gold (and I had 2 dozen left over from another project), but you can also save pasta jars, fruit jars, Bonne Maman jelly jars, etc. and then simply spray paint the lids pink, purple, teal, or gold!

Let the kids arrange everything inside their pet rock’s home just the way they want it!

Bonus Touches

  • Provide stickers, glitter pens, and washi tape so guests can decorate the outside of their habitat jar.
  • If time allows, give each child a small baggie of “gem food” (rock candy) as a fun favor.
  • I also included these Pet Rock Care Instructions for the girls to take for their favor bags to read later.

I purchased the party invitation, poster, and Pet Rock printables from this Etsy shop! The colors were perfect!

Why Kids (and Parents) Love It

This activity is more than a craft—it’s a moment of imagination, creation, and storytelling. The girls love the freedom to design their own little friend, and parents love that it’s a screen-free, meaningful take-home gift. Plus, with gemstone elements like agate slices and glittering accessories, it fits the theme perfectly.

My daughter’s best friend loved her pet rock, Jerry Bob, so much that when she evacuated her home before a disastrous wildfire destroyed it, she deemed him valuable enough to take with her. So while many other prized possessions were burned and lost, Jerry Bob survived! (Don’t worry, her mom and I laughed about this.)

Make your gemstone-themed party shine with this unforgettable DIY project that mixes nature, magic, and kid-sized creativity. Your 7-year-old (and their pet rock crew) will treasure the memories—and the habitats—for years to come!

Links to Materials:

Final Note: Do NOT leave your pet rocks unattended around pet kittens! Cats are curious and LOVE pipe cleaners and pom-poms!

Copyright Notice

All images and content are copyright-protected. Please do not use any images without prior permission. If you would like to share this story, please only use one image, use proper credit, and link directly back to this post using my post title. Thank you!