
The Courage Trail
With Finn in Whispering WoodsMake unfamiliar things feel more approachable, one healthy risk at a time.

Growing Minds · ages 5-630 playful missions to help your child practise expressing themselves, making choices and trying new things. Relight the five stars over Star Island so the fishing boats can find their way home again, with Nova as their guide.
Choose their level
Your choice: The Confidence Quest · Growing Minds (ages 5-6) · printable PDF + online adventure
This edition is still being written, illustrated and tested. We only sell an edition once all 30 missions are finished in both formats.
Also part of Choose Any 3 ($74.99) and the Complete Collection ($184.99), each for one age level.
The goal: Relight the five stars over Star Island so the fishing boats can find their way home again.
Your child’s part: Your child makes the choices: their own explorer symbol and name, which idea to share, which new thing to try. Each choice brings a dimmed star back to light, and Nova finds her voice beside them.
Confidence is the quiet sense of "I can have a go." It shows up when a child shares an idea, makes a choice or tries something new, even if their voice wobbles a little.
Just gentle ideas to help you choose.
The story goal: Relight the five stars over Star Island so the fishing boats can find their way home again.

Nova says: “My symbol is a star, because I like looking at them. My explorer name is Nova Bright-Paw.”Nova
A little boat bumps against the wooden jetty. Nova runs to meet it, her red cape flapping.
"You're here!" She holds out a small card. It's completely blank. "Every explorer on Star Island has an explorer card. It shows your symbol and your explorer name. But nobody can fill it in for you. That's the rule."
First, a choice: 4 options
On the printed page: Circle a symbol, or draw your own in the empty bubble.
By the end they have: Explorer card.
You will need: The explorer card on this page (or any scrap of card) · Crayons or pencils · A towel or small blanket
Smaller step if needed: Choose just the symbol today; the name can come later.
The grown-up’s part: Write the name if asked, exactly as your child says it. Keep your own colour ideas to yourself.
Wear a towel or blanket as a cape and announce your explorer name to everyone at home.
What it practises: Practise making small choices about yourself: a symbol, a colour and an explorer name.
Word for word from Mission 1 of The Confidence Quest for ages 5-6. The mission’s own illustrations are still to come.
Six missions in each chapter. Finishing a chapter lights up a new star on the map, on paper and on screen.

Story choices, Puzzles, Movement, Role-play, Real-world challenge, Drawing.
Short missions, drawing, simple puzzles, role-play, real-world challenges. About 10-15 min (a few up to 20) per mission. Optional read-aloud narration. Grown-up role: guided play, growing independence.
The same mission plays on paper or on screen with the same answer. This is how each activity type changes between the two formats.
| Activity | In the PDF | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Story choice | Circle an answer | Tap an answer |
| Secret code | Draw the symbols | Tap symbols into a lock |
| Matching | Draw lines | Drag or tap pairs |
| Ordering | Number the pictures | Drag or tap into order |
| Hidden things | Colour what you find | Tap the scene |
| Feelings | Colour a face | Tap a face |
| Drawing | Draw in the frame | Draw on screen |
| Real world | Tick the box | Tap “We tried it!” |

Make unfamiliar things feel more approachable, one healthy risk at a time.

Explore feelings, listening and caring for the people around them.

Practise handling mistakes, setbacks and the big feelings that come with them.