Ages 9-14 · Book 4, Discernment · 4,299 places
The First Phone
The conversation to have before the handover, and the rule the child writes rather than receives.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Two Wolves Within — “Choose what you feed within.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Audit one real day of inputs, honestly, adults included
- Session 2
Read the story and name the choice point inside it
- Session 3
Learn the one check: who made this, and what do they want
- Session 4
Apply the check to something they actually watch
- Session 5
Set the family or class rule they helped write
Questions leaders ask
Is the first phone in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is discernment — 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 9-14. 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.
We have tried things like this in your area before and stopped. Why is this different?
Because it is ten minutes and it survives a missed night. There is no streak to break and nothing to catch up on — you pick up at the next chapter.
What if my child will not talk about it?
Then read it anyway and say nothing. Children answer days later, in the car, about something else entirely. The prompts are there when they are ready, not a toll you have to pay to finish the book.
The rules that make it work
This takes no side on any platform
No app is named as good or bad. That is what makes it usable in a public school, and it is also what makes it still true in three years.
Teach the question, not the rule
Rules expire when the technology changes. "Who made this and what do they want from me" works on something that has not been invented yet.
The child writes the rule
A limit imposed from above is complied with until it can be evaded. A limit a child helped write is one they can explain to a friend.
Adults do the inventory too
A grown-up listing their own real day, honestly, in front of the children, is the moment the session stops being a telling-off.
Self-talk is an input
The harshest voice most children hear is their own, and it is on the list with everything else because it works the same way.
Nobody is shamed for their list
The first honest inventory is always ugly. A room that reacts to that is a room that will only ever see edited lists afterwards.
First Phone by metro area
Northeast
- First Phone — New York, NY
- First Phone — Philadelphia, PA
- First Phone — Boston, MA
- First Phone — Pittsburgh, PA
- First Phone — Providence, RI
- First Phone — Hartford, CT
- First Phone — Buffalo, NY
- First Phone — Rochester, NY
- First Phone — Bridgeport, CT
- First Phone — Albany, NY
- First Phone — Worcester, MA
- First Phone — Allentown, PA
- First Phone — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- First Phone — Syracuse, NY
- First Phone — Harrisburg, PA
- First Phone — New Haven, CT
- First Phone — Portland, ME
- First Phone — Scranton, PA
- First Phone — Lancaster, PA
- First Phone — York, PA
- First Phone — Springfield, MA
- First Phone — Waterbury, CT
- First Phone — Reading, PA
- First Phone — Manchester, NH
- First Phone — Trenton, NJ
- First Phone — Atlantic City, NJ
- First Phone — Utica, NY
- First Phone — Norwich, CT
- First Phone — Erie, PA
- First Phone — Binghamton, NY
- First Phone — Barnstable, MA
- First Phone — Burlington, VT
- First Phone — Kingston, NY
- First Phone — Amherst, MA
- First Phone — Chambersburg, PA
- First Phone — Bangor, ME
- First Phone — State College, PA
- First Phone — Vineland, NJ
- First Phone — Lebanon, PA
- First Phone — Johnstown, PA
- First Phone — Pittsfield, MA
- First Phone — Glens Falls, NY
- First Phone — Altoona, PA
- First Phone — Lewiston, ME
- First Phone — Williamsport, PA
- First Phone — Watertown, NY
- First Phone — Gettysburg, PA
- First Phone — Ithaca, NY
- First Phone — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- First Phone — Chicago, IL
- First Phone — Detroit, MI
- First Phone — Minneapolis, MN
- First Phone — St. Louis, MO
- First Phone — Cincinnati, OH
- First Phone — Kansas City, MO
- First Phone — Columbus, OH
- First Phone — Indianapolis, IN
- First Phone — Cleveland, OH
- First Phone — Milwaukee, WI
- First Phone — Grand Rapids, MI
- First Phone — Omaha, NE
- First Phone — Dayton, OH
- First Phone — Des Moines, IA
- First Phone — Madison, WI
- First Phone — Akron, OH
- First Phone — Wichita, KS
- First Phone — Toledo, OH
- First Phone — Springfield, MO
- First Phone — Lansing, MI
- First Phone — Fort Wayne, IN
- First Phone — Youngstown, OH
- First Phone — Flint, MI
- First Phone — Canton, OH
- First Phone — Davenport, IA
- First Phone — Ann Arbor, MI
- First Phone — Peoria, IL
- First Phone — Lincoln, NE
- First Phone — Rockford, IL
- First Phone — Green Bay, WI
- First Phone — South Bend, IN
- First Phone — Sioux Falls, SD
- First Phone — Duluth, MN
- First Phone — Cedar Rapids, IA
- First Phone — Evansville, IN
- First Phone — Fargo, ND
- First Phone — Kalamazoo, MI
- First Phone — Appleton, WI
- First Phone — Champaign, IL
- First Phone — Topeka, KS
- First Phone — Rochester, MN
- First Phone — Lafayette, IN
- First Phone — Columbia, MO
- First Phone — Joplin, MO
- First Phone — Elkhart, IN
- First Phone — Springfield, IL
- First Phone — St. Cloud, MN
- First Phone — Racine, WI
- First Phone — Saginaw, MI
- First Phone — Iowa City, IA
- First Phone — Muskegon, MI
- First Phone — Eau Claire, WI
- First Phone — Oshkosh, WI
- First Phone — Bloomington, IL
- First Phone — La Crosse, WI
- First Phone — Terre Haute, IN
- First Phone — Waterloo, IA
- First Phone — Kenosha, WI
- First Phone — Janesville, WI
- First Phone — Bloomington, IN
- First Phone — Jackson, MI
- First Phone — Traverse City, MI
- First Phone — Rapid City, SD
- First Phone — Monroe, MI
- First Phone — Jefferson City, MO
- First Phone — Niles, MI
- First Phone — Sioux City, IA
- First Phone — Bismarck, ND
- First Phone — Wausau, WI
- First Phone — Manhattan, KS
- First Phone — Springfield, OH
- First Phone — Battle Creek, MI
- First Phone — Ames, IA
- First Phone — Mansfield, OH
- First Phone — Lawrence, KS
- First Phone — St. Joseph, MO
- First Phone — Sheboygan, WI
- First Phone — Muncie, IN
- First Phone — Sandusky, OH
- First Phone — Michigan City, IN
- First Phone — Kankakee, IL
- First Phone — Grand Forks, ND
- First Phone — Mankato, MN
- First Phone — Fond du Lac, WI
- First Phone — Bay City, MI
- First Phone — Lima, OH
- First Phone — Dubuque, IA
- First Phone — Decatur, IL
- First Phone — Cape Girardeau, MO
- First Phone — Columbus, IN
- First Phone — Kokomo, IN
- First Phone — Midland, MI
- First Phone — Grand Island, NE
- First Phone — Minot, ND
South
- First Phone — Dallas, TX
- First Phone — Houston, TX
- First Phone — Atlanta, GA
- First Phone — Washington, DC
- First Phone — Miami, FL
- First Phone — Tampa, FL
- First Phone — Orlando, FL
- First Phone — Charlotte, NC
- First Phone — Baltimore, MD
- First Phone — San Antonio, TX
- First Phone — Austin, TX
- First Phone — Nashville, TN
- First Phone — Virginia Beach, VA
- First Phone — Jacksonville, FL
- First Phone — Raleigh, NC
- First Phone — Oklahoma City, OK
- First Phone — Louisville, KY
- First Phone — Richmond, VA
- First Phone — Memphis, TN
- First Phone — Birmingham, AL
- First Phone — Tulsa, OK
- First Phone — Greenville, SC
- First Phone — New Orleans, LA
- First Phone — Knoxville, TN
- First Phone — Sarasota metro area, FL
- First Phone — McAllen, TX
- First Phone — Charleston, SC
- First Phone — Baton Rouge, LA
- First Phone — El Paso, TX
- First Phone — Columbia, SC
- First Phone — Cape Coral, FL
- First Phone — Lakeland, FL
- First Phone — Greensboro, NC
- First Phone — Little Rock, AR
- First Phone — Deltona, FL
- First Phone — Winston-Salem, NC
- First Phone — Palm Bay, FL
- First Phone — Augusta, GA
- First Phone — Durham, NC
- First Phone — Fayetteville, AR
- First Phone — Jackson, MS
- First Phone — Chattanooga, TN
- First Phone — Port St. Lucie, FL
- First Phone — Huntsville, AL
- First Phone — Pensacola, FL
- First Phone — Lexington, KY
- First Phone — Killeen, TX
- First Phone — Wilmington, NC
- First Phone — Corpus Christi, TX
- First Phone — Ocala, FL
- First Phone — Savannah, GA
- First Phone — Brownsville, TX
- First Phone — Gulfport, MS
- First Phone — Myrtle Beach, SC
- First Phone — Lafayette, LA
- First Phone — Asheville, NC
- First Phone — Naples, FL
- First Phone — Mobile, AL
- First Phone — Spartanburg, SC
- First Phone — Beaumont, TX
- First Phone — Tallahassee, FL
- First Phone — Fayetteville, NC
- First Phone — Montgomery, AL
- First Phone — Shreveport, LA
- First Phone — Hickory, NC
- First Phone — Lubbock, TX
- First Phone — Huntington, WV
- First Phone — Gainesville, FL
- First Phone — Clarksville, TN
- First Phone — Columbus, GA
- First Phone — Roanoke, VA
- First Phone — Hagerstown, MD
- First Phone — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- First Phone — Kingsport, TN
- First Phone — Waco, TX
- First Phone — Longview, TX
- First Phone — College Station, TX
- First Phone — Tuscaloosa, AL
- First Phone — Laredo, TX
- First Phone — Slidell, LA
- First Phone — Amarillo, TX
- First Phone — Lynchburg, VA
- First Phone — Daphne, AL
- First Phone — Tyler, TX
- First Phone — Lake Charles, LA
- First Phone — Hilton Head Island, SC
- First Phone — Macon, GA
- First Phone — Fort Smith, AR
- First Phone — Panama City, FL
- First Phone — Charlottesville, VA
- First Phone — Gainesville, GA
- First Phone — Athens, GA
- First Phone — Monroe, LA
- First Phone — Punta Gorda, FL
- First Phone — Jacksonville, NC
- First Phone — Johnson City, TN
- First Phone — Lexington Park, MD
- First Phone — Warner Robins, GA
- First Phone — Auburn, AL
- First Phone — Florence, SC
- First Phone — Charleston, WV
- First Phone — Houma, LA
- First Phone — Bowling Green, KY
- First Phone — Dover, DE
- First Phone — Midland, TX
- First Phone — Burlington, NC
- First Phone — Abilene, TX
- First Phone — Jackson, TN
- First Phone — Greenville, NC
- First Phone — Blacksburg, VA
- First Phone — Odessa, TX
- First Phone — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- First Phone — Homosassa Springs, FL
- First Phone — Decatur, AL
- First Phone — Hattiesburg, MS
- First Phone — The Villages metro area, FL
- First Phone — Florence, AL
- First Phone — Dothan, AL
- First Phone — Sherman, TX
- First Phone — Valdosta, GA
- First Phone — Winchester, VA
- First Phone — Wichita Falls, TX
- First Phone — Rocky Mount, NC
- First Phone — Alexandria, LA
- First Phone — Dalton, GA
- First Phone — Texarkana, TX
- First Phone — Albany, GA
- First Phone — Morgantown, WV
- First Phone — Hammond, LA
- First Phone — Harrisonburg, VA
- First Phone — Jonesboro, AR
- First Phone — Wheeling, WV
- First Phone — Cleveland, TN
- First Phone — Salisbury, MD
- First Phone — Staunton, VA
- First Phone — Morristown, TN
- First Phone — Elizabethtown, KY
- First Phone — Lawton, OK
- First Phone — Goldsboro, NC
- First Phone — San Angelo, TX
- First Phone — Brunswick, GA
- First Phone — Anniston, AL
- First Phone — Owensboro, KY
- First Phone — Steubenville, WV
- First Phone — Sebring, FL
- First Phone — Pinehurst, NC
- First Phone — Beckley, WV
- First Phone — Sumter, SC
- First Phone — Gadsden, AL
- First Phone — Paducah, KY
- First Phone — Rome, GA
- First Phone — Victoria, TX
- First Phone — Hot Springs, AR
- First Phone — Hinesville, GA
- First Phone — Parkersburg, WV
- First Phone — Enid, OK
- First Phone — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- First Phone — Los Angeles, CA
- First Phone — Phoenix, AZ
- First Phone — Riverside, CA
- First Phone — San Francisco, CA
- First Phone — Seattle, WA
- First Phone — San Diego, CA
- First Phone — Denver, CO
- First Phone — Portland, OR
- First Phone — Sacramento, CA
- First Phone — Las Vegas, NV
- First Phone — San Jose, CA
- First Phone — Salt Lake City, UT
- First Phone — Fresno, CA
- First Phone — Tucson, AZ
- First Phone — Honolulu, HI
- First Phone — Bakersfield, CA
- First Phone — Albuquerque, NM
- First Phone — Boise, ID
- First Phone — Oxnard, CA
- First Phone — Stockton, CA
- First Phone — Colorado Springs, CO
- First Phone — Provo, UT
- First Phone — Ogden, UT
- First Phone — Spokane, WA
- First Phone — Reno, NV
- First Phone — Modesto, CA
- First Phone — Santa Rosa, CA
- First Phone — Visalia, CA
- First Phone — Vallejo, CA
- First Phone — Salem, OR
- First Phone — Santa Maria, CA
- First Phone — Salinas, CA
- First Phone — Anchorage, AK
- First Phone — Eugene, OR
- First Phone — Greeley, CO
- First Phone — Fort Collins, CO
- First Phone — Boulder, CO
- First Phone — Kennewick, WA
- First Phone — Olympia, WA
- First Phone — Merced, CA
- First Phone — Bremerton, WA
- First Phone — San Luis Obispo, CA
- First Phone — Bend, OR
- First Phone — Yakima, WA
- First Phone — Santa Cruz, CA
- First Phone — Prescott metro area, AZ
- First Phone — Bellingham, WA
- First Phone — Las Cruces, NM
- First Phone — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- First Phone — Yuma, AZ
- First Phone — Medford, OR
- First Phone — St. George, UT
- First Phone — Chico, CA
- First Phone — Billings, MT
- First Phone — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- First Phone — Yuba City, CA
- First Phone — Redding, CA
- First Phone — El Centro, CA
- First Phone — Idaho Falls, ID
- First Phone — Pueblo, CO
- First Phone — Grand Junction, CO
- First Phone — Logan, UT
- First Phone — Maui, HI
- First Phone — Santa Fe, NM
- First Phone — Hanford, CA
- First Phone — Flagstaff, AZ
- First Phone — Mount Vernon, WA
- First Phone — Napa, CA
- First Phone — Albany, OR
- First Phone — Bozeman, MT
- First Phone — Missoula, MT
- First Phone — Wenatchee, WA
- First Phone — Sierra Vista, AZ
- First Phone — Twin Falls, ID
- First Phone — Farmington, NM
- First Phone — Longview, WA
- First Phone — Cheyenne, WY
- First Phone — Corvallis, OR
- First Phone — Helena, MT
- First Phone — Fairbanks, AK
- First Phone — Pocatello, ID
- First Phone — Grants Pass, OR
- First Phone — Great Falls, MT
- First Phone — Casper, WY
- First Phone — Lewiston, ID
- First Phone — Walla Walla, WA
- First Phone — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
