A Season of Kindness
JANUARY UPDATE: Due to the December/January surge in COVID-19 and resulting low participation in this in-store campaign, we have paused this effort and will revisit the campaign in the spring. We appreciate your understanding and welcome any questions or concerns at hello@adventuresinkindness.com. We remain deeply appreciative of Dawson’s Market, and are glad to report that Adventures in Kindness still gave a meaningful donation to Small Things Matter as our nonprofit partner in this campaign effort.
Hi friend! Thanks for your interest in our very special Season of Kindness campaign, which we are hosting this December in partnership with locally owned small business Dawson’s Market to support the Maryland-based and youth-led nonprofit, Small Things Matter.
Between December 10-30, 2021 if you’ll be in Rockville, MD or Washington, DC, we invite you to pick up a free Season of Kindness adventure card at your local Dawson’s Market. Complete at least 10 adventures on the card by the end of the campaign + return it to either Dawson’s store to be entered into win one of three $200 Dawson’s gift cards, or one of two Adventures in Kindness fun packs—each a $50 value! There’s no purchase necessary, and contest rules at the bottom of this post.
If you’ve already got your card in hand and you’re looking for more details on the adventures, keep on reading!
Not in the DC/MD/VA area, but still want to participate? Drop us a line at hello@adventuresinkindness.com and we’ll email you a printable copy of the adventure card.
Please note: the following adventures are all excerpts from our award-winning action/adventure book Adventures in Kindness, now available in a newly expanded second edition. Grab your signed copy now, and 20% of your order will support one of our featured nonprofit partners.
Now, let’s go on an adventure!
1. Visit with an older neighbor. Have you ever felt lonely? For many aging adults—who may not have friends or family living nearby, or who may no longer drive—this is a very common feeling,
and it’s often referred to as social isolation. To combat isolation, and to practice care for our neighbors, we invite you to visit with an older neighbor, and take the opportunity to learn more about their life experiences. Ask about their life as a child, as a young adult, and as an older adult. Record the interview using a journal or an audio recorder to make sure you capture
everything that your subject shares, and then write or type up your interview. Give them a copy when you’re done—they might like it written down! Not only is this a great way to learn about people who have lived experiences different from your own, but it’s a kind gesture for someone who might live alone and may not have as many chances to socialize with family and friends.
Check out the Adventures in Kindness book for an interview guide that further supports this adventure.
2. Head out on a nature walk- and leave the path cleaner than you found it. Going on a nature adventure is a fun and easy way to be kind to the planet. The best part is, you can start right where you are, since nature is all around us! Get yourself a magnifying glass, a notebook and pencil to get this adventure going. First, take a walk around the perimeter of your home or neighborhood. Notice the kinds of plants, flowers, rocks, and soil that exist there. Then, take a second lap, looking even closer under the leaves to examine the insects, soil, and animals that live in the area. Get down on your hands and knees and look closely. You’ll be amazed how much there is to find in every square of nature. Your job on this adventure is to leave any place you visit cleaner than the way you found it.
3. Try a new fruit or vegetable this week. You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a lot of different foods and to always try new things. If you eat different foods, you’re more likely to get the nutrients your body needs to grow strong and to stay healthy. On your next trip to Dawson’s Market, take a slow walk through the produce aisle examining all the different fruits and vegetables that you’ve never tasted before. Consider trying at least one new type of fruit or vegetable each week and try it in a recipe so you can learn more about it.
4. Write a letter of encouragement to a friend. If you’ve noticed that a neighbor, a friend, or family member has been feeling blue, consider delivering a handwritten note of friendship or encouragement. Maybe there’s a book you’ve loved that you want to pass along for them to enjoy next, or a piece of artwork that you think they might like. The goal is to let them know how much they mean to you, and to extend kindness through a caring note.
5. Support a small business. Small businesses are often the heart of a community. One of the best ways to support small businesses is to go shopping! See what’s sprouting at the local farmers market or buy some flowers for your teacher at the local flower shop. Not able to go shopping? Find ways to help spread the word about the small businesses in your town. Another great way to complete this adventure is to simply visit each one of your identified small businesses and say thank you. Small businesses create new jobs, provide personal experiences, and support your local economy. When they do well, your whole community does well.
6. Make a homemade bird feeder. If you think it’s nice hearing the birds chirp outside your window each morning, this next adventure’s for you. Making homemade bird feeders is a fun way to get to know which birds are native to your area and a great way to help little winged friends when their food sources are scarce in the wintertime. This adventure’s good for the environment too, as bird feeders can be made using all-natural items from your yard or recycle bin. Download a free printable on how to make a birdfeeder in the resources section of this site.
7. Start a family giving jar. In the lead up to one or more of your family’s celebrated holidays, consider how kindness could become a family tradition. First, find an empty jar—it can be a pickle jar, a peanut butter jar, a Mason jar, or any other jar you have lying around. That’s your Giving Jar. For the month or weeks leading up to your family’s holiday, make it a tradition to place a few pennies or a few dollars—anything considered spare change— in the jar at the end of each day. Then, the week before your big holiday, select someone who’s going through a tough time financially and work as a family to give the jar to them in person or anonymously—or donate the collected funds to a nonprofit of your family’s choosing.
8. Scrap all single use plastic this week. Play an active part in protecting our oceans and all the sea creatures that call them home. First, make a commitment to give up single-use plastic items such as plastic snack bags, plastic forks, plastic water bottles, and most importantly, plastic straws. America alone uses over 500 million plastic straws every day,2 and most of those end up in our oceans, polluting the water and killing marine life. If we don’t work together to end the use of plastic straws, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than there are fish.
9. Support a Little Free Library. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a great book, except maybe sharing that book with a friend. Sharing the love of reading with someone else is one of our favorite adventures in kindness, and now there’s a movement underway to share that love even farther and wider with your community. For this adventure, we invite you to find the closest Little Free Library to your house, and leave a book inside for someone else to find! Use this tool to find a Little Free Library near you!
10. Take our Home Sweet Home pledge to protect the earth. The saying, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children,” is a good reminder of our job to keep the planet better than we found it. Unfortunately, the earth is experiencing the effects of global warming faster than ever in history, which means it is all of our jobs to protect and care for Mother Earth. Join us at Adventures in Kindness to take the Home Sweet Home pledge and start doing at least one of these activities this week. Challenge yourself to keep up this adventure for the rest of this year! Download the pledge in the resources section of our website.
11. Read a book by a Black or Indigenous author. We love reading because of how much it opens our minds to new ideas and different cultures. But we also know how many books default to old stereotypes such as the white knight or the princess who needs saving. If you’re ready for more diverse views of our world, head to your local library and seek out a book written by a Black or Indigenous author. If you’re looking for a head start, check out our reading list for racially conscious kids.
12. Learn how to say hello in at least one new language- and practice it with your friends. Hello. Hi. Hey. Hiya. The simple act of saying hello to someone in their native language is not only a kind gesture, but also a great sign of respect. And, since you’ve probably already mastered the many types of greetings in your native language, use this adventure to learn how to say “Hello” in several other languages. By expanding the languages you speak, rather than limiting yourself to one single language, you’ll be far more able to connect with those in your community who speak different languages. Learning a language is no fun if you can’t use it, so try out your new words on your friends and family.
13. Take the day in a wheelchair challenge. Have you ever experienced walking on crutches or moving about in a wheelchair? If so, you’re probably aware of how difficult it can be for people who are physically challenged to get around town. It’s tough to access certain areas without ramps and difficult to find wheelchair accessible bathrooms. For this adventure, take one day making note of all the places you go and how your daily motions might change if you were in a wheelchair. Take notice of how often you rely on stairs, where the nearest elevators or ramps are located, and even the quality of city streets and sidewalks (cracks and bumps are hard to roll over). Individuals living with physical challenges often have their needs ignored because able-bodied people just don’t see or experience the world in the same way. Take the time to understand if accessibility is a challenge in your community, and then think about what you might be able to do to help. Don’t underestimate your ability to advocate for improved sidewalks, safer crosswalks, more ramps, or more accessible bathroom facilities.
14. Spread joy with a kindness rock. Would you like to spread happiness around like sunshine? This is a simple adventure that can do just that! Start by heading outside and collecting some small, smooth rocks from around your yard or neighborhood. Wash and dry them well and then cover them with a full coat of paint. When the paint has dried, use a separate paint color or marker to add words of happiness and encouragement to each rock, such as “you are loved,” “kindness rocks,” “today’s the day,” “stay positive,” or “be brave.” Once the rocks are ready, deliver them to people in and around your community. You can either leave them in places where your friends and family will find them or give them directly as gifts. Either way, know that you’ll be spreading sunshine to anyone on the receiving end.
15. Introduce yourself using your preferred pronouns at least once this week. A pronoun is a word we use when speaking about a person, and is one way that we gender people. For example, “She went to the store,” or “I saw him today!” and “Have you heard from them yet?” She/her, he/him, and they/them are all pronouns. When speaking about non-living objects, we may use this, that or, it. It is never appropriate to refer to another person using this, that, or it. People often assume the gender of others by their appearance and use pronouns to match their assumption (which is not always correct). It’s important to ask for pronouns because you cannot assume someone’s gender based on clothing, makeup, body size or shape, body hair, etc.
16. Reach out to a friend or teacher and tell them how much they mean to you. There’s nothing more special than telling someone how much they mean to you. If there’s a teacher whose inspired you, a family member who has supported you, or a friend who is always there when you need them, make this the week that you tell them how much they matter to you!
We hope you’ve loved these adventures and we thank you for helping us build a whole community of kindness activists. Drop us a line at hello@adventuresinkindness.com and let us know how you did with your adventure, and be sure to stay in touch by joining our mailing list. If you’d like more adventures like these, check out the full Adventures in Kindness book for more!
Until then- may all your adventures be kind ones!
Contest Rules: Open to U.S. residents only. Must be 18 years or older to win. Parents or legal guardians may submit adventure cards on behalf of their children under the age of 18, thereby giving permission to participate in the contest. Only one entry per person. Kindness activities must be completed between December 10, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Five winners will be selected by a random name generator and contacted by Adventures in Kindness on Monday, January 10, via email message. No purchase necessary. Entrants confirm they are 18 years of age or have the permission of a parent or guardian to participate. Entrants release Adventures in Kindness and Dawson’s Market of responsibility, and agree to Adventures in Kindness terms of use. The names of the winners will be posted on this blog by January 12, 2022. This contest is void where prohibited by law. We have the right to refuse, withdraw, or disqualify entries in our sole discretion. Entry submission grants Adventures in Kindness and Dawson’s Market permission to use your entry, name, image and likeness for publicity, advertising, promotion, and trade without further compensation or remuneration unless prohibited by law. Odds of winning are dependent on the number of entries received. Winners have 72 hours to claim their prize, and the prize may be forfeited if a winner does not respond to Adventures in Kindness within that time frame. Adventures in Kindness is not liable for someone’s failure to receive notification of winning if an incorrect email address or incorrect telephone number was provided or if an entrant’s email security settings caused a winning notification to go into a spam or junk email folder.