It all started with a question. What would the world be like if people weren’t mean? That’s the thought Sophia Fox, age 9, and her mom Carrie Fox, decided to ponder one night in a journal they shared between them.
From that initial question grew their new book, Adventures in Kindness, an action and adventure book for kind kids, which features 52 adventures that kids and their families can do together to build a better world. Within the pages of the book, kids find creative and active ways to make the world a better place.
We spoke with Sophia and Carrie Fox to learn more about the book and the adventures featured within.
Where did the idea for "Adventures in Kindness" come from?
CARRIE: When we started writing, we didn’t know it would become a book. We were just making a list of all the ways we could show kindness. We realized we had a really long list, so we decided we should go on some of the adventures we came up with—and then we realized we might have something that other kids and their families would enjoy, too.
Writing a book together is a wonderful way for a parent and child to collaborate. What did the writing process look like for you?
SOPHIA: We would go to restaurants or Starbucks and brainstorm about adventures.
CARRIE: On Sundays we would steal away for a couple of hours. We would find a spot to talk and write. It was fun because we got to think through a lot of the ideas in the book and have really good conversations—it was a special experience to have together.
Families are always looking for active things to do together. What are some of your favorite adventures in the book?
SOPHIA: One thing me, my mom and my sister are doing right now is a 26-day family fitness adventure. We bike one mile for 26 days and at the end you’ve done a marathon. Then you can go online, and they’ll send you a medal.
CARRIE: The website is called Dream Big, and it’s for kids to build good habits. You can choose any habit, like reading, walking or biking. We chose running and biking.
SOPHIA: Another adventure is where you try new vegetables for the week. You discover new vegetables that you haven’t tried before, and you might find out that you like them!
CARRIE: Tied to that, there’s an adventure built around going meatless one meal per week. It helps on food cost, and it’s better for the environment.
SOPHIA: There’s also one about going on a nature walk around your house.
CARRIE: The idea is to walk around the perimeter of your home really slowly and see what you see. Peek at the soil. See what kind of little critters live there. Examine your environment. You don’t have to go far.
Both the book and website are designed to be interactive. In addition to participating in the adventures, what are some other ways readers can interact with “Adventures in Kindness”?
SOPHIA: After every adventure in the book, there’s a place where you can write down your ‘report from the field.’ That’s where you’ll answer questions like, “What’s one thing that surprised me about the adventure?” You can write down what you did so you can remember it.
CARRIE: We have so much fun keeping a journal. We take turns. Sophia will write in it and then I’ll write in it—we go back and forth. The ‘report from the field’ mimics that. It’s a way for kids and their families to go on adventures and then take some time to reflect on the adventure and how it made them feel.
It’s not just a book and a journal. Kids can go to the website and sign up to be members of the Kids Club. Any kid that completes five adventures in the book will get a backpack badge and can choose from a handful of stickers we have.
SOPHIA: The idea is to wear kind proudly. It feels good to be kind; let’s wear it proud.
What kind of affect do you hope “Adventures in Kindness” will have on the world?
SOPHIA: I hope that after someone reads the book, they are a kinder person—that they help people and are nicer to the environment.
CARRIE: What we learned going through the book is that there is so much more than just being nice. There’s more to walking past a service member and saying, “Thanks for your service,” for example. Having an adventure in kindness means taking the extra time to say, “I’d like to know more about you. Will you share with me about your time in the service?” We want people to take the time to get to know others on a deeper level.
“Adventures in Kindness” is available for pre-order on AdventuresInKindness.com and on Amazon. The book retails for $18.95, and a portion of every sale goes to the charities featured in the book.
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