Ages 5-14 · Book 2, Belonging · 4,299 places
Adopted Children
Belonging questions that arrive on their own schedule, usually years after everyone assumed the subject was settled.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Scary Playground — “Being brave means showing up anyway.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Read one chapter, no questions the first night
- Session 2
Second night, ask what part they would change and why
- Session 3
Third night, tell them a time you got this wrong yourself
- Session 4
Fourth night, they pick the family's one step for the week
- Session 5
Fifth night, come back to it and say out loud what changed
Questions leaders ask
Is adopted children in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is belonging — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-14. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
Will this work for the children in your area who need it most?
It is built to. Participation is allowed to look different — listening from the edge of the room counts, and so does leaving early. Nothing in the session requires reading, speaking, or sitting still to take part.
Where do we start if we have never run anything like this?
One child and one adult who keeps the pairing. Not a program. Build the good half-hour for that child first, and let the second family hear about it from the first.
The rules that make it work
It is a character story, not a social skills assessment
No child is scored, graded or sorted into a social tier. The room gets shared language and a move to practise, and nothing about a child is recorded.
Never make the left-out child the project
A program that visibly organises itself around one child has told the whole room who that child is. Everything here is run for everyone.
One person, not the whole group
Joining a group is the hardest version of the task and the one children are always told to do. One person, chosen beforehand, is the version that works.
Difference is the asset, said plainly
Not "everyone is special", which children correctly hear as nothing. The specific thing that makes this child the odd one out is named, and then used.
Adults go first
An adult describing their own time at the fence gives permission that no amount of encouragement does.
Ask the new child whether it worked
Not the volunteers, not the popular children, not the staff. The person who was alone is the only reliable measure of whether a belonging program works.
Adopted Children by metro area
Northeast
- Adopted Children — New York, NY
- Adopted Children — Philadelphia, PA
- Adopted Children — Boston, MA
- Adopted Children — Pittsburgh, PA
- Adopted Children — Providence, RI
- Adopted Children — Hartford, CT
- Adopted Children — Buffalo, NY
- Adopted Children — Rochester, NY
- Adopted Children — Bridgeport, CT
- Adopted Children — Albany, NY
- Adopted Children — Worcester, MA
- Adopted Children — Allentown, PA
- Adopted Children — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Adopted Children — Syracuse, NY
- Adopted Children — Harrisburg, PA
- Adopted Children — New Haven, CT
- Adopted Children — Portland, ME
- Adopted Children — Scranton, PA
- Adopted Children — Lancaster, PA
- Adopted Children — York, PA
- Adopted Children — Springfield, MA
- Adopted Children — Waterbury, CT
- Adopted Children — Reading, PA
- Adopted Children — Manchester, NH
- Adopted Children — Trenton, NJ
- Adopted Children — Atlantic City, NJ
- Adopted Children — Utica, NY
- Adopted Children — Norwich, CT
- Adopted Children — Erie, PA
- Adopted Children — Binghamton, NY
- Adopted Children — Barnstable, MA
- Adopted Children — Burlington, VT
- Adopted Children — Kingston, NY
- Adopted Children — Amherst, MA
- Adopted Children — Chambersburg, PA
- Adopted Children — Bangor, ME
- Adopted Children — State College, PA
- Adopted Children — Vineland, NJ
- Adopted Children — Lebanon, PA
- Adopted Children — Johnstown, PA
- Adopted Children — Pittsfield, MA
- Adopted Children — Glens Falls, NY
- Adopted Children — Altoona, PA
- Adopted Children — Lewiston, ME
- Adopted Children — Williamsport, PA
- Adopted Children — Watertown, NY
- Adopted Children — Gettysburg, PA
- Adopted Children — Ithaca, NY
- Adopted Children — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Adopted Children — Chicago, IL
- Adopted Children — Detroit, MI
- Adopted Children — Minneapolis, MN
- Adopted Children — St. Louis, MO
- Adopted Children — Cincinnati, OH
- Adopted Children — Kansas City, MO
- Adopted Children — Columbus, OH
- Adopted Children — Indianapolis, IN
- Adopted Children — Cleveland, OH
- Adopted Children — Milwaukee, WI
- Adopted Children — Grand Rapids, MI
- Adopted Children — Omaha, NE
- Adopted Children — Dayton, OH
- Adopted Children — Des Moines, IA
- Adopted Children — Madison, WI
- Adopted Children — Akron, OH
- Adopted Children — Wichita, KS
- Adopted Children — Toledo, OH
- Adopted Children — Springfield, MO
- Adopted Children — Lansing, MI
- Adopted Children — Fort Wayne, IN
- Adopted Children — Youngstown, OH
- Adopted Children — Flint, MI
- Adopted Children — Canton, OH
- Adopted Children — Davenport, IA
- Adopted Children — Ann Arbor, MI
- Adopted Children — Peoria, IL
- Adopted Children — Lincoln, NE
- Adopted Children — Rockford, IL
- Adopted Children — Green Bay, WI
- Adopted Children — South Bend, IN
- Adopted Children — Sioux Falls, SD
- Adopted Children — Duluth, MN
- Adopted Children — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Adopted Children — Evansville, IN
- Adopted Children — Fargo, ND
- Adopted Children — Kalamazoo, MI
- Adopted Children — Appleton, WI
- Adopted Children — Champaign, IL
- Adopted Children — Topeka, KS
- Adopted Children — Rochester, MN
- Adopted Children — Lafayette, IN
- Adopted Children — Columbia, MO
- Adopted Children — Joplin, MO
- Adopted Children — Elkhart, IN
- Adopted Children — Springfield, IL
- Adopted Children — St. Cloud, MN
- Adopted Children — Racine, WI
- Adopted Children — Saginaw, MI
- Adopted Children — Iowa City, IA
- Adopted Children — Muskegon, MI
- Adopted Children — Eau Claire, WI
- Adopted Children — Oshkosh, WI
- Adopted Children — Bloomington, IL
- Adopted Children — La Crosse, WI
- Adopted Children — Terre Haute, IN
- Adopted Children — Waterloo, IA
- Adopted Children — Kenosha, WI
- Adopted Children — Janesville, WI
- Adopted Children — Bloomington, IN
- Adopted Children — Jackson, MI
- Adopted Children — Traverse City, MI
- Adopted Children — Rapid City, SD
- Adopted Children — Monroe, MI
- Adopted Children — Jefferson City, MO
- Adopted Children — Niles, MI
- Adopted Children — Sioux City, IA
- Adopted Children — Bismarck, ND
- Adopted Children — Wausau, WI
- Adopted Children — Manhattan, KS
- Adopted Children — Springfield, OH
- Adopted Children — Battle Creek, MI
- Adopted Children — Ames, IA
- Adopted Children — Mansfield, OH
- Adopted Children — Lawrence, KS
- Adopted Children — St. Joseph, MO
- Adopted Children — Sheboygan, WI
- Adopted Children — Muncie, IN
- Adopted Children — Sandusky, OH
- Adopted Children — Michigan City, IN
- Adopted Children — Kankakee, IL
- Adopted Children — Grand Forks, ND
- Adopted Children — Mankato, MN
- Adopted Children — Fond du Lac, WI
- Adopted Children — Bay City, MI
- Adopted Children — Lima, OH
- Adopted Children — Dubuque, IA
- Adopted Children — Decatur, IL
- Adopted Children — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Adopted Children — Columbus, IN
- Adopted Children — Kokomo, IN
- Adopted Children — Midland, MI
- Adopted Children — Grand Island, NE
- Adopted Children — Minot, ND
South
- Adopted Children — Dallas, TX
- Adopted Children — Houston, TX
- Adopted Children — Atlanta, GA
- Adopted Children — Washington, DC
- Adopted Children — Miami, FL
- Adopted Children — Tampa, FL
- Adopted Children — Orlando, FL
- Adopted Children — Charlotte, NC
- Adopted Children — Baltimore, MD
- Adopted Children — San Antonio, TX
- Adopted Children — Austin, TX
- Adopted Children — Nashville, TN
- Adopted Children — Virginia Beach, VA
- Adopted Children — Jacksonville, FL
- Adopted Children — Raleigh, NC
- Adopted Children — Oklahoma City, OK
- Adopted Children — Louisville, KY
- Adopted Children — Richmond, VA
- Adopted Children — Memphis, TN
- Adopted Children — Birmingham, AL
- Adopted Children — Tulsa, OK
- Adopted Children — Greenville, SC
- Adopted Children — New Orleans, LA
- Adopted Children — Knoxville, TN
- Adopted Children — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Adopted Children — McAllen, TX
- Adopted Children — Charleston, SC
- Adopted Children — Baton Rouge, LA
- Adopted Children — El Paso, TX
- Adopted Children — Columbia, SC
- Adopted Children — Cape Coral, FL
- Adopted Children — Lakeland, FL
- Adopted Children — Greensboro, NC
- Adopted Children — Little Rock, AR
- Adopted Children — Deltona, FL
- Adopted Children — Winston-Salem, NC
- Adopted Children — Palm Bay, FL
- Adopted Children — Augusta, GA
- Adopted Children — Durham, NC
- Adopted Children — Fayetteville, AR
- Adopted Children — Jackson, MS
- Adopted Children — Chattanooga, TN
- Adopted Children — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Adopted Children — Huntsville, AL
- Adopted Children — Pensacola, FL
- Adopted Children — Lexington, KY
- Adopted Children — Killeen, TX
- Adopted Children — Wilmington, NC
- Adopted Children — Corpus Christi, TX
- Adopted Children — Ocala, FL
- Adopted Children — Savannah, GA
- Adopted Children — Brownsville, TX
- Adopted Children — Gulfport, MS
- Adopted Children — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Adopted Children — Lafayette, LA
- Adopted Children — Asheville, NC
- Adopted Children — Naples, FL
- Adopted Children — Mobile, AL
- Adopted Children — Spartanburg, SC
- Adopted Children — Beaumont, TX
- Adopted Children — Tallahassee, FL
- Adopted Children — Fayetteville, NC
- Adopted Children — Montgomery, AL
- Adopted Children — Shreveport, LA
- Adopted Children — Hickory, NC
- Adopted Children — Lubbock, TX
- Adopted Children — Huntington, WV
- Adopted Children — Gainesville, FL
- Adopted Children — Clarksville, TN
- Adopted Children — Columbus, GA
- Adopted Children — Roanoke, VA
- Adopted Children — Hagerstown, MD
- Adopted Children — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Adopted Children — Kingsport, TN
- Adopted Children — Waco, TX
- Adopted Children — Longview, TX
- Adopted Children — College Station, TX
- Adopted Children — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Adopted Children — Laredo, TX
- Adopted Children — Slidell, LA
- Adopted Children — Amarillo, TX
- Adopted Children — Lynchburg, VA
- Adopted Children — Daphne, AL
- Adopted Children — Tyler, TX
- Adopted Children — Lake Charles, LA
- Adopted Children — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Adopted Children — Macon, GA
- Adopted Children — Fort Smith, AR
- Adopted Children — Panama City, FL
- Adopted Children — Charlottesville, VA
- Adopted Children — Gainesville, GA
- Adopted Children — Athens, GA
- Adopted Children — Monroe, LA
- Adopted Children — Punta Gorda, FL
- Adopted Children — Jacksonville, NC
- Adopted Children — Johnson City, TN
- Adopted Children — Lexington Park, MD
- Adopted Children — Warner Robins, GA
- Adopted Children — Auburn, AL
- Adopted Children — Florence, SC
- Adopted Children — Charleston, WV
- Adopted Children — Houma, LA
- Adopted Children — Bowling Green, KY
- Adopted Children — Dover, DE
- Adopted Children — Midland, TX
- Adopted Children — Burlington, NC
- Adopted Children — Abilene, TX
- Adopted Children — Jackson, TN
- Adopted Children — Greenville, NC
- Adopted Children — Blacksburg, VA
- Adopted Children — Odessa, TX
- Adopted Children — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Adopted Children — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Adopted Children — Decatur, AL
- Adopted Children — Hattiesburg, MS
- Adopted Children — The Villages metro area, FL
- Adopted Children — Florence, AL
- Adopted Children — Dothan, AL
- Adopted Children — Sherman, TX
- Adopted Children — Valdosta, GA
- Adopted Children — Winchester, VA
- Adopted Children — Wichita Falls, TX
- Adopted Children — Rocky Mount, NC
- Adopted Children — Alexandria, LA
- Adopted Children — Dalton, GA
- Adopted Children — Texarkana, TX
- Adopted Children — Albany, GA
- Adopted Children — Morgantown, WV
- Adopted Children — Hammond, LA
- Adopted Children — Harrisonburg, VA
- Adopted Children — Jonesboro, AR
- Adopted Children — Wheeling, WV
- Adopted Children — Cleveland, TN
- Adopted Children — Salisbury, MD
- Adopted Children — Staunton, VA
- Adopted Children — Morristown, TN
- Adopted Children — Elizabethtown, KY
- Adopted Children — Lawton, OK
- Adopted Children — Goldsboro, NC
- Adopted Children — San Angelo, TX
- Adopted Children — Brunswick, GA
- Adopted Children — Anniston, AL
- Adopted Children — Owensboro, KY
- Adopted Children — Steubenville, WV
- Adopted Children — Sebring, FL
- Adopted Children — Pinehurst, NC
- Adopted Children — Beckley, WV
- Adopted Children — Sumter, SC
- Adopted Children — Gadsden, AL
- Adopted Children — Paducah, KY
- Adopted Children — Rome, GA
- Adopted Children — Victoria, TX
- Adopted Children — Hot Springs, AR
- Adopted Children — Hinesville, GA
- Adopted Children — Parkersburg, WV
- Adopted Children — Enid, OK
- Adopted Children — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Adopted Children — Los Angeles, CA
- Adopted Children — Phoenix, AZ
- Adopted Children — Riverside, CA
- Adopted Children — San Francisco, CA
- Adopted Children — Seattle, WA
- Adopted Children — San Diego, CA
- Adopted Children — Denver, CO
- Adopted Children — Portland, OR
- Adopted Children — Sacramento, CA
- Adopted Children — Las Vegas, NV
- Adopted Children — San Jose, CA
- Adopted Children — Salt Lake City, UT
- Adopted Children — Fresno, CA
- Adopted Children — Tucson, AZ
- Adopted Children — Honolulu, HI
- Adopted Children — Bakersfield, CA
- Adopted Children — Albuquerque, NM
- Adopted Children — Boise, ID
- Adopted Children — Oxnard, CA
- Adopted Children — Stockton, CA
- Adopted Children — Colorado Springs, CO
- Adopted Children — Provo, UT
- Adopted Children — Ogden, UT
- Adopted Children — Spokane, WA
- Adopted Children — Reno, NV
- Adopted Children — Modesto, CA
- Adopted Children — Santa Rosa, CA
- Adopted Children — Visalia, CA
- Adopted Children — Vallejo, CA
- Adopted Children — Salem, OR
- Adopted Children — Santa Maria, CA
- Adopted Children — Salinas, CA
- Adopted Children — Anchorage, AK
- Adopted Children — Eugene, OR
- Adopted Children — Greeley, CO
- Adopted Children — Fort Collins, CO
- Adopted Children — Boulder, CO
- Adopted Children — Kennewick, WA
- Adopted Children — Olympia, WA
- Adopted Children — Merced, CA
- Adopted Children — Bremerton, WA
- Adopted Children — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Adopted Children — Bend, OR
- Adopted Children — Yakima, WA
- Adopted Children — Santa Cruz, CA
- Adopted Children — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Adopted Children — Bellingham, WA
- Adopted Children — Las Cruces, NM
- Adopted Children — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Adopted Children — Yuma, AZ
- Adopted Children — Medford, OR
- Adopted Children — St. George, UT
- Adopted Children — Chico, CA
- Adopted Children — Billings, MT
- Adopted Children — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Adopted Children — Yuba City, CA
- Adopted Children — Redding, CA
- Adopted Children — El Centro, CA
- Adopted Children — Idaho Falls, ID
- Adopted Children — Pueblo, CO
- Adopted Children — Grand Junction, CO
- Adopted Children — Logan, UT
- Adopted Children — Maui, HI
- Adopted Children — Santa Fe, NM
- Adopted Children — Hanford, CA
- Adopted Children — Flagstaff, AZ
- Adopted Children — Mount Vernon, WA
- Adopted Children — Napa, CA
- Adopted Children — Albany, OR
- Adopted Children — Bozeman, MT
- Adopted Children — Missoula, MT
- Adopted Children — Wenatchee, WA
- Adopted Children — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Adopted Children — Twin Falls, ID
- Adopted Children — Farmington, NM
- Adopted Children — Longview, WA
- Adopted Children — Cheyenne, WY
- Adopted Children — Corvallis, OR
- Adopted Children — Helena, MT
- Adopted Children — Fairbanks, AK
- Adopted Children — Pocatello, ID
- Adopted Children — Grants Pass, OR
- Adopted Children — Great Falls, MT
- Adopted Children — Casper, WY
- Adopted Children — Lewiston, ID
- Adopted Children — Walla Walla, WA
- Adopted Children — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
