Your starter kit is ready

Meet the characters

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  Lulu Lilly

  Red hair, big plans, bigger heart. Notices the person everyone walks past.

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  Muffin

  Lulu's tabby cat. Professional lap-sitter, amateur troublemaker.

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  Tommy Two-Socks

  Wears two different socks on purpose. Braver than he looks.

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  Cookie

  Curly red hair, clover dress, never met a rule she didn't test.

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  Mikey McAwesome

  Says he's awesome. Is mostly right. Occasionally over-promises.

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  Ruby

  Pigtails and opinions. Best hugger in second grade.

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  Sparkles the Unicorn

  Pink, glittery, extremely dramatic about everything.

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  Tessa

  Quiet artist in a sparkly butterfly dress. Says 'I'm fine' in the voice that means she isn't.

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  Hadley

  Purple bow, purple everything. Fastest kid on the playground and a terrible loser — working on it.

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  Principal Mr. Boss

  The principal. Big voice, sharp suit, secretly soft.

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  Ms. Smart

  The teacher who notices everything, including you.

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  Mom

  Dark wavy hair, tired eyes, endless snacks.

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  Dad

  Red beard, bad jokes, good hugs.

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  Ms. Spud

  The lunch lady. Gray bun, brown apron, pink sneakers. Knows every kid's name and exactly who needs seconds.

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  Grandma Nana

  Always has cookies and a story that goes on a little too long — and she'll still out-walk you.

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  Grandpa Papa

  Silver hair, work boots, arms like tree trunks. Fixes everything and never mentions it.

7-Day Kindness Challenge

1. □Day 1. Tell someone one thing you like about them.
2. □Day 2. Help clean up a mess you didn't make.
3. □Day 3. Share something with a friend or sibling.
4. □Day 4. Write or draw a note for someone who is sad.
5. □Day 5. Invite someone new to play or sit with you.
6. □Day 6. Say thank you to a grown-up who helps you.
7. □Day 7. Notice when someone needs help — and help them.

Finished all 7 days? Print the Heartache Hero certificate on the site.

Ocean in a Bottle

A calm-down jar from The Great Lemonade Strike. 10 minutes. Ages 5–10 with a grown-up.

What you need

• □A clear plastic bottle with a tight lid (a 16–20 oz water bottle is perfect)
• □Water — enough to fill the bottle about halfway
• □Baby oil or vegetable oil — enough to fill the rest
• □Blue food coloring (2–3 drops)
• □Optional: glitter, tiny shells, a small plastic fish or boat
• □Strong tape or hot glue for sealing the lid

How to make it

1. 1. Fill it halfway with water

   Pour water into the bottle until it's about half full. Leave the rest for oil.

2. 2. Add the blue

   Two or three drops of blue food coloring. Cap it and tip once to mix the water only.

3. 3. Fill the rest with oil

   Slowly pour oil on top until the bottle is almost full. The oil sits on the water — that's the science.

4. 4. Optional sparkle

   A pinch of glitter or a tiny toy boat. Less is more or you will have a glitter blizzard.

5. 5. Seal the lid

   A grown-up should tape or hot-glue the lid so it cannot open in a backpack.

6. 6. Tip it

   Slowly tip the bottle on its side. A tiny blue wave rolls back and forth. That is your ocean.

Silly story questions

Talk about these after you read. There are no wrong answers.

1. Was Lulu allowed to fire the cat?
2. If you ran the lemonade stand, what would you pay people in?
3. Which friend would you want on your strike line?
4. What would you do if Sparkles said your sign was upside down?
5. Who would you pick as your Heartache Hero helper, and why?
6. If Muffin could talk, what would he say about being fired?
7. What kind thing could you do tomorrow, the way Lulu would?