In Wonder, Auggie’s teacher Mr. Browne plays the role of a moral compass for his students. Throughout the book, Mr. Browne presents a monthly precept, which can be described as “anything that helps guide us when making decisions about really important things.” Each month, he gives the students a new precept that they have to write about.
As we read Wonder this summer, we will highlight one of Mr. Browne’s precepts every week with a corresponding kindness challenge! As you complete these, we welcome you to share or post your results on social media with the hashtag #D158isKind! Let’s share the power of kindness together!
“Like a motto! Like a famous quote. Like a line from a fortune cookie. Any saying or ground rule that can motivate you. Basically, a precept is anything that helps guide us when making decisions about really important things.”
Mr. Browne
| Try Out These Kindness Activities: |
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| WEEK 1: Paint a “Kindness Rock“ |
| Precept: “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.” —Dr. Wayne W. Dyer Kindness Challenge: Paint a smooth rock with words of encouragement or kind phrases and pass it on to someone who may need it! |
| WEEK 2: Offer to help clean up around the house! |
| Precept: “Your deeds are your monuments.” —inscription on an Egyptian tomb Kindness Challenge: Surprise your family by offering to help clean up around the houses (do laundry, vacuum, clean up after dinner, etc). |
| WEEK 3: Clean up the area around you to create a better place! |
| Precept: “No man is an island, entire of itself.” —John Donne Kindness Challenge: Go outside and pick up trash either at your house, a friend’s house, your neighborhood, or a local park. |
| WEEK 4: Be a listening ear to someone else! |
| Precept: “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” —James Thurber Kindness Challenge: Choose a person in your family or a friend that you do not know that well, and ask them about the kindest thing someone else has done for them. Sometimes kindness is shown best by listening! |
| WEEK 5: Call a family member to say ‘I miss you’ or ‘I love you’! |
| Precept: “Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.” —Blaise Pascal Kindness Challenge: Think of a family member you do not talk to that often, pick up a phone, and call them to say ‘I miss you’ or ‘I love you’! |
| WEEK 6: Donate old clothes, books, or toys! |
| Precept: “What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful.” —Sappho Kindness Challenge: Go through your own belongings and share them with others that need them! |
| WEEK 7: Do something kind for someone else! |
| Precept: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.” —John Wesley’s Rule Kindness Challenge: When you are at a store, restaurant, the park, library, or somewhere else, do something kind for someone else such as letting them go in front of you in line or holding open the door! |
| WEEK 8: Compliment someone else! |
| Precept: “Just follow the day and reach for the sun!” —The Polyphonic Spree, “Light and Day” Kindness Challenge: Choose a friend or family member, think of something that they do really well, and give them a compliment in writing or verbally. |
| WEEK 9: Make a homemade gift for someone! |
| Precept: “Have no friends not equal to yourself.” —Confucius Kindness Challenge: Choose a special person and make them a special gift, just because! |
| WEEK 10: Share a note with a teacher! |
| Precept: “Just follow the day and reach for the sun!” —The Polyphonic Spree, “Light and Day” Kindness Challenge: Write a teacher you’ve had at school in any year at school a note to tell them thank you for being a great teacher and that you appreciate them! |
