Week 01 · New Beginnings
What's one thing you want to begin this year?
The American Values Almanac
A question to wonder about, every week.
One value, one open question, and a few short stories that come at it from different sides. No quiz, no lesson — just something good to talk about together, at bedtime or on the drive.
Q1 — Winter
Week 02 · Hope
When things are hard, what gives you hope?
Week 03 · Standing Up For Others
When is it worth standing up, even when it's hard?
Week 04 · Kindness
Can one small kind thing change someone's whole day?
Week 05 · Curiosity
What's something you've always wondered about?
Week 06 · Honesty
Is it ever hard to tell the truth? Why do it anyway?
Week 07 · Leadership and Character
What makes someone a leader people trust?
Week 08 · Perseverance
Is it better to be fast — or to never give up?
Week 09 · Patience
What's something worth waiting for?
Week 10 · Making Things
If you could invent one thing to help people, what?
Week 11 · Cleverness
When is being clever better than being strong?
Week 12 · Courage
What does it mean to be brave when you're still scared?
Week 13 · Humility
Is it okay to be wrong — and what do you do next?
Q2 — Spring
Week 14 · Generosity
What's something you could give that isn't a thing?
Week 15 · Wonder at Nature
What in nature makes you stop and wonder?
Week 16 · Caring for the Land
Who takes care of the land — and how?
Week 17 · Hard Work
What's something hard you're proud you finished?
Week 18 · Service
What does it mean to serve people you'll never meet?
Week 19 · Teamwork
When is a job easier together than alone?
Week 20 · Courage
Where do you think courage comes from?
Week 21 · Remembrance
Why do we remember people we never met?
Week 22 · Remembrance
How can remembering be a way of caring?
Week 23 · Fairness
Is 'fair' always the same as 'equal'?
Week 24 · Freedom
What does freedom mean to you?
Week 25 · Liberty
What's the difference between being free and being safe?
Week 26 · Liberty
What did the founders mean by 'liberty'?
Q3 — Summer
Week 27 · Perseverance
What keeps you going when it's hard?
Week 28 · Cleverness
Can quick thinking get you out of trouble?
Week 29 · Keeping a Promise
What happens when a promise is hard to keep?
Week 30 · Kindness
Is it harder to be kind to a stranger or a brother?
Week 31 · Hard Work
What's worth working that hard for?
Week 32 · Courage
When is the bravest thing also the quietest?
Week 33 · Making Things
If you could build anything, what would help most?
Week 34 · Friendship
What makes someone a good friend?
Week 35 · Perseverance
A new school year is hard at first — what helps you keep at it?
Week 36 · The Builders
Who builds the things we use every day?
Week 37 · Helpers
Who are the helpers where you live?
Week 38 · Hard Work
Can hard work change where you end up?
Week 39 · Keeping a Promise
Is a promise still a promise when it's costly?
Q4 — Fall
Week 40 · Home and Belonging
What makes a place feel like home?
Week 41 · First Peoples and the Land
What does it mean to belong to a place?
Week 42 · Curiosity
What's a question only you seem to ask?
Week 43 · Hospitality
What does it mean to make someone welcome?
Week 44 · Service
What does it mean to serve at a cost?
Week 45 · Service
How do we thank those who served?
Week 46 · Gratitude
What are you thankful for that's easy to forget?
Week 47 · Gratitude
If you could thank one person, who?
Week 48 · Kindness
Can kindness be quiet and still count?
Week 49 · Peace
What makes peace between people possible?
Week 50 · Forgiveness
Is forgiving hard? Why try?
Week 51 · Peace
Could enemies ever choose peace — even for a day?
Week 52 · Hope
What are you hoping for in the year ahead?
A new question every week.
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