Once Upon a Book ~ The Day it Rained Hearts

The Day It Rained Hearts

By Felicia Bond

Summary:  This is a sweet story of the day it rained hearts on Cornelia Augusta.  Like snowflakes, Cornelia’s hearts were all unique.  With each heart, Cornelia decorates the hearts for different people.  Though it never rained hearts again, Augusta manages to make special hearts each year.  

Bible Passage:  1 Corinthians 13

We had so much fun with these books . . . too much fun, I think.  As you browse through the activities we did at our house, I encourage you to think outside of the box.  Two of the three books that I chose to feature this week are centered around Valentine’s Day . . . but if you look at your calendar, Valentine’s Day has passed.  But they are activities that you can still do . . . let our activities be a spring-board for any holiday or theme that you desire to learn about!  Have fun!

It’s raining hearts! 

What You’ll Need:

• foam, craft paper, or tissue paper hearts
• chair
  

How To Play

Stand securely on a chair and drop hearts.  Allow your Tot to catch the hearts with their hands or a basket!  Be prepared for giggles!

Heart Tree

We keep a tree up all year.  Technically, it is a Christmas Tree.  But currently it is a Valentine Tree. 

What You’ll Need

• heart patterns of various shapes (I made mine out of file folders)
• glitter, sequins, cotton balls, etc.
• glue
• scissors
• hole punch
• yarn or ribbon
  

How To Make

• Allow your child to practice tracing and cutting out various shapes of hearts.
  
• Hole punch the hearts and tie a string through the heart to use to hang the heart from the tree.
  
• Give them the supplies and time to decorate their hearts.
  
• While the hearts dry, talk with your child about people that they would like to pray for.  Perhaps even put that person’s name on the heart to remind you later to pray for said individual. 

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

By Eileen Spinelli

Summary:  Mr. Hatch appears to be alone, sad, and unloved.  Until one day when a Valentine gift is delivered to his door that says, “Somebody loves you.”  Knowing that he is loved transforms his life and causes him to reach out to other people around him.  Then, he finds out that the box was accidentally delivered to him and he once again feels dejected.  But his new friends don’t forget about him and remind him of their affection.  

Learn Your Address

Envelopes abound during Valentine’s Day.  This is a perfect time to teach your child their address and how to prepare an envelope.  Focus on your Tot being able to say your address orally.  I suppose advanced children could read and write their address . . . but my little guy isn’t there yet!  We also practiced putting the return address label and postage stamp in the correct locations on a postcard or envelope.  After, Mr. Me-Too prepared each postcard, Mr. Smiley mailed the letters for us!

What You’ll Need

• envelopes or postcards (I save extra envelopes that we receive in the mail from bills or junk mail.)
• stickers (to pretend they are postal stamps)
• return address labels or a return address stamp
• shoebox with a hole cut out that is large enough for an envelope to fit through or the Melissa and Doug mailbox you see above
  

Mr. Hatch’s Candy Box

What You’ll Need

• stickers and any other fun items
• craft box (found at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, and Jo Anne’s)
  

How To Make

Simply allow your child to decorate the cardboard box.  Let creativity reign.  Talk about the story as they decorate the box.  How must Mr. Hatch have felt after receiving such a special package in the mail?  Is there anyone you could make a package for . . . even better who could you anonymously give a gift to?

Everyone Needs a Tie

When Mr. Hatch felt a little love, he put on a new tie.  So, make a yellow tie with blue spots, symbolic of how when we experience God’s love and believe in Jesus, we become a new creation.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

What You’ll Need

• yellow construction paper
• scissors
• blue dot stickers or Do-A-Dots
  

 

How To Make

I drew a tie to the best of my ability and supplied the necessary materials for my sons to make a tie like Mr. Hatch’s.  I hadn’t intended for them to wear their ties . . . but they managed to accomplish this without my help.

Make Brownies 

 

. . . this was the last activity we did for this book.  You can pretty much choose your own brownie recipe to share with someone else who might need a reminder that God loves them, but click here to see the recipe we used!

Snuggle Puppy (a love song)

By Sandra Boynton

Summary:  A delightful and favorite “night-night” book in our house about how much a little snuggle puppy is loved.  The song rolls off of your tongue and tickles your child’s ears.

Find It In The Book

What You’ll Need

• Print the Snuggle Puppy printable on cardstock (Click HERE to get it!). 
• Cut out the cards and lay them flat on the ground
  

How To Play

While you are reading the book, have your Snuggle Puppy match the object on the printable with the matching picture in the book!

Want to see what's coming next (and books we've done in the past)? Click here to see our Once Upon a Book webpage!