Definition:

to be amazed at and/or curious about something that is pleasantly unexpected, beautiful, or  mysterious. 

In short:

Curiosity sparks endless discovery. 

Summary:
The theme of this clever and thought-provoking book is very powerful: we are all part of a great system of connections, starting with “me” and expanding to the cosmos and everything in it. We’re connected to wonderful creatures, people, insects, Blobfish, everything humans have made, even the bad stuff, like pollution, diseases, things that are scary and messy. We’re even connected to things we can’t see, to “all that will be and has been”, to the universe, “perfect and whole.” 

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students widen their sense of the world and their place in it, how they are part of a fascinating system of connections. They create a paper chain that copies that list of connections they read about in this book. Note to teachers: The activity that goes with this story is on the website under the virtue, “Wonder.” 

Guiding Questions: 

1. Explain what the author means when he says “you’re not just a body, you’re bigger than that.”
2. When it says that Blobfish “don’t look like me, talk like me, or act like me” it goes on to say that the connection between a person and Blobfish is still there. What do you think that means? 
3. Even though the messy, scary things are part of the world we live in, we are powerful and can deal with it. Can you think of a time when you were powerful enough to overcome a fear of something or a bad situation? 
4. What are some of the tiny invisible things you are made of? 
5. Who are some of the famous people we are connected to? 
6. The sky surrounds our earth, and therefore we are connected to what is there. Make a list of 5 things that are in the sky. 
7. Who are the people you are most connected to and why? 
8. Is there a time in the past, a hundred years ago, or more, or less, that you feel a connection to? If you could travel on a time machine and visit that time, what would you like to do? 
9. Is there a famous person you’d like to meet and spend time with? What would you do together? 
10. Is there a part of nature that you feel especially connected to? What is it and what about it makes you feel connected?