Stone Soup and Gratitude

Greeting and Review	Meet in your regular spot. Ask the students if they know what Gratitude is. Ask if why it is important to share? Remind them of the veggies that they brought and how we may not fill ourselves on one vegetable, but when we each contribute, we make a meal for all to share.
Main Lesson	Stone soup And Gratitude
Activity 1	Making Soup* (Some pre-cooking is necessary before the kids arrive to have the soup ready in time) Materials Needed: Extra volunteers if possible, crinkle cutters, chopping boards, large cooking pot, ladle, small bowls and spoons, an onion, an apple, 2-4 cloves of garlic, olive oil or butter, bouillon paste, a clean smooth stone and various vegetables brought from home of each of the students
Activity 2	Read. listen to or tell the story of Stone Soup Materials Needed: Book, or you can have their school teacher tell it orally (in Spanish would be even better!) Stone Soup (English), Stone Soup (Spanish)
Activity 3	Gratitude Verse coloring worksheet and eat soup Materials Needed: Worksheet and crayons or colored pencils
Cleanup	Wash crinkle cutters and chopping boards. Put all other supplies away.
Goodbye	Have the children repeat the Gratitude verse.

Have the students stick together this time since time will be tight for the soup to be done in time.

ACTIVITY 1: Making Soup

Adapted from Moon Child Blog

1. Prep: Gather the veggies early in the day an wash before class begins if time is limited. For little ones, you can precut the veggies in half or quarters to make it easier and faster to cut. Set up the cutting boards. Crinkle cutters will be passed out later.
2. Chop an apple and an onion. Peel and crush 2-4 cloves of garlic. Sauté the apples, onions and garlic in olive oil and about a tablespoon of butter.
3. Add 2-3 bouillon cubes, or 2-3 T. of bouillon paste (I like Better Than Bouillon) to the sauteed mixture.
4. Add 2-3 quarts of water and put a clean, washed stone (large enough not to swallow) in the pot, and let simmer.
5. Have children help you chop whatever vegetables they brought from home. Veggies can include potatoes, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers, broccoli, celery, zucchini, kale, spinach, or virtually any other type of fresh vegetable.
6. Have children help add chopped vegetables to pot.
7. Add a cup of barley or rice that has been rinsed and soaked overnight, or pasta in fun shapes.
8. Let simmer for 35-45 mins.

Encourage students to raise their hand and ask questions if they are unsure about something.

ACTIVITY 2 : Stone Soup Story

1. Read Stone Soup book, OR listen to Sopa de Piedras in Spanish, or listen to Stone Soup in English.

ACTIVITY 3 : Gratitude Verse Coloring Worksheet and

1. Handout the Gratitude Verse worksheet and some colored pencils or crayons.
2. Practice the verse over and over and once again before eating the stone soup. You can also use this verse anytime before they eat or prepare food in the classroom.
3. While students color, fill small bowls with soup and don’t forget to discreetly place the magic stone in one of the bowls. Pass out spoons and soup when cooled.
4. Eat soup! The children search to see if they have the “magic stone”. I like to tell them that whomever has the stone will get to make a wish.

CLEANUP & GOODBYE 

As students line up, have them say the Gratitude Verse as a group:

“Thankful for the Blossom, Thankful for the fruit, thankful for the leaves, the stem and the roots. Thankful for our friends and our family, thankful for you and thankful for me.”