Free printable Stone Soup lesson plans, recipes and sharing activities

Hello my Omschooligans! Today Teacher Omi (Grandma, that's me!) is thinking about gardens. I got a pretty herb garden for Mother's Day. And my Louisiana grandkids have a huge garden full of good things to eat! So I am going share some gardening and cooking activities from one of my favorite books, called Stone Soup." The legend of "Stone Soup" is a timeless classic. It's been retold many times, notably by Marcia Brown, Ann McGovern and Jon J. Muth. This story is sacred text in preschool and elementary classrooms. Here are free printable Stone Soup lesson plans just in time for summer produce harvest! First, let's start with the recipe and a game to play!

🍲 The Magic of Stone Soup

A Recipe for Sharing and Community

Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 45 mins | Serves: A whole village

Ingredients

• 1 Large, Smooth Stone (Scrubbed very clean!)

• 6 cups Water or vegetable broth

• 3 large Carrots, sliced into rounds

• 3 stalks Celery, chopped

• 1 large Onion, diced

• 4 medium Potatoes, cubed

• 1 cup Green beans or peas

• 1 can (15 oz) Diced tomatoes

• 2 cloves Garlic, minced

• Fresh Herbs: Parsley, thyme, or bay leaf

• Salt & Pepper to taste

• Optional: A handful of barley or small pasta, some cubed beef roast and a little milk or cream. If you can coax it out of your little villagers 😆

Instructions

1. The Secret Start: Place your "magic" stone in the bottom of a large heavy pot. I would use a crock pot or slow cooker for safety in the classroom. Fill the pot with water or broth and bring it to a gentle boil.

2. The First Contribution: Add the onions and garlic. Let them simmer until the water begins to smell fragrant.

3. Building the Flavor: Add the potatoes, carrots, and celery. As the legend goes, "a bit of this and a bit of that" makes the soup better.

4. The Final Additions: Stir in the tomatoes, green beans, and herbs. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 30–40 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.

5. The Seasoning: Remove the lid and add salt and pepper. If you have a crusty loaf of bread nearby, now is the time to slice it!

6. The Reveal: Carefully remove the stone (save it for next time!) and serve the soup hot to friends, family, and neighbors.

"It is amazing how much flavor a simple stone can have... when everyone adds a little something to the pot."

🎨 Teacher Omi’s "Sharing Soup" Game

The Setup: Ask each child to bring in one small vegetable or ingredient (or provide them yourself) and have the children "hide" them—either in their desks, under their chairs, or behind their backs during circle time. 

The "Wondering": Place your pot and "magic stone" in the center of the circle. Begin to "wonder" aloud.

• "Oh, this stone soup smells lovely, but it would be so much better if only we had a bright, crunchy carrot..."

The Magic: The child with the carrot then "finds" it and brings it forward to the pot to share! Continue until every child has contributed their piece to the village feast.

            The Lesson: It transforms a simple recipe into a lesson on how everyone has something valuable to contribute, no matter how small.

Souper Simple Sharing Soup

So you could make a "Souper Simple Sharing Soup" for Thanksgiving or any time, just by asking each child to bring in one can of his favorite vegetables. This "souper simple" recipe works well in classrooms because it's quick and easy to make. All you need is a can opener and a crockpot, if a stove isn't available. It's endlessly creative and never turns out the same! It was fun to see how many different kinds of vegetables were brought in. It's also cheap and easy for parents. You could do it with frozen or fresh vegetables too. 

And now for the free Stone Soup printables

• Mrs Albanese's Kindergarten has free printable Stone Soup activities. In fact, this teacher created an entire unit based on the Stone Soup legend complete with matching card game, song, reading and writing activities and more. 
• DL-TK has free printable Stone Soup felt board activities, coloring pages, recipes, crafts, nutrition science lessons and more. 
• Songs for Teaching has eight free printable "Stone Soup" worksheets,cut and paste manipulatives, lesson plans, puzzles and games. 
• Crayola has free printable "Stone Soup" coloring pages and crafts. 
• Scholastic has a free printable Stone Soup lesson plan. 
• Lil Country Kindergarten is a blog with several Kindergarten lesson plans on Stone Soup.

Literature Connections

Marcia Brown's "Stone Soup" is the oldest book version (1947). It was a Caldecott honor book. Brown also wrote other Caldecott children's literature winners "Shadow" and "Once a Mouse." Ann McGovern is the "If you lived..." book lady. In the 1960s she wrote a non-fiction Scholastic series on what it would be like to live with Sioux Indians, Colonial Times, etc. 

Books in the Series by Ann McGovern

• If You Lived in Colonial Times (1964) – Covers life in the New England colonies between 1650 and 1750.

• If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln (1966) – Details what it was like to live on the frontier and in the city during Lincoln's time.

• If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 (1969) – Explores the journey and the first year of the Pilgrims in Plymouth.

• If You Lived in the Circus (1971) – A look behind the scenes of traveling circus life.

• If You Lived With the Sioux Indians (1972) – Describes the daily life, traditions, and hunting practices of the Sioux on the Great Plains. (We know now it's not accurate to call them Sioux. They are correctly called Lakota. And we now say American Indians or native American or indigenous. But it's still a good book.)  

• If You Lived 100 Years Ago (1999) – Focuses on life at the turn of the 20th century (specifically in New York City).

• If You Lived in the Days of the Knights (2001) – Covers the training, armor, and daily routines of medieval knights in the 13th century.

  
  

  Jon J. Muth wrote a Japanese version of Stone Soup. Muth is a celebrated author and illustrator whose career spans award-winning children's picture books and influential graphic novels. He is perhaps best known for his series featuring Stillwater the giant panda. Many of these works are inspired by Zen koans and Buddhist parables.

  Title	Year	Notable Awards/Honors
  Stillwater and Koo Save the World	2023
  Addy's Cup of Sugar	2020
  Zen Happiness	2019
  Mama Lion Wins the Race	2017
  Zen Socks	2015	Junior Library Guild Selection
  Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons	2014	Beehive Book Award (Poetry)
  Zen Ghosts	2010
  Zen Ties	2008	Children's Choice Book Award (Illustrator of the Year)
  Zen Shorts	2005	Caldecott Honor; Book Sense Book of the Year
  Stone Soup	2003
  The Three Questions	2002	National Children's Publication Award

Teacher Omi’s Note on Evolving Language

When we read books written several decades ago, like those by Ann McGovern, we sometimes find words that were commonly used then but have since been corrected.

• The term "Sioux" is actually an exonym—a name given to a group by outsiders. It originated from a French version of an Ojibwe word that meant "little snakes" or "enemies." 

• • The Preferred Name: Most people within that nation prefer Lakota, Dakota, or Nakota (depending on their specific dialect and region).

  • The Meaning: In their own language, these names mean "allies" or "friends." It’s a much more beautiful and accurate way to describe their community!

  • Oceti Sakowin: You may also see the term Oceti Sakowin (The Seven Council Fires), which is the proper collective name for the entire alliance of these bands.

  
  

Christopher Columbus, Silk Road, Spice Route and American Indian lesson plans with free printables

Hello my Omschooligans! I want to tell you a funny story about how America was "discovered" and a less funny story why we call the first people who lived here "Indians." Indians of course, are people from India. The original people in the Americas were inaccurately called Indian by Christopher Columbus. And the legend has become one of the most notorious mistakes in history. Part of a series mistakes, as it happens. When Teacher Omi was a kid, we were drilled on Christopher Columbus (wrongly, in many cases such as where he was from). But nevertheless, we were taught about exploration which I'm not so sure gets as much coverage as it should, now. So I'm going fill you in.

Columbus's backstory

We're pretty sure Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa. Which was a city state in what we now call Italy. But he might have been Spanish, Portuguese or Greek. We do know he made several voyages, the best-known one being in 1492, in the very late Medieval period. Columbus was a cartographer (map maker). He was trying to map the world and to do that in those days, you had to go by the stars (so he was an astronomer, too). And to see them best, you had to go sailing. So he was a navigator, too. Or trying to be. There were some issues, given his lack of funding and major blunders which we'll explore later. But first, lets look at the cool old GPS tools like Columbus would have used. 

Printable Navigation Tool Projects 

Here are images of navigational tools back from history. You can even print and make models of them.

• The Astrolabe: * The Institute of Astronomy provides a classic "build your own" paper astrolabe template that is very popular for educators.

  • Stargazers Lounge often shares simplified versions that are easier for younger students to assemble.

• The Quadrant:

  • Science Friday has a fantastic step-by-step guide to making a quadrant using just cardstock, a straw, and a piece of string with a weighted washer.

• The Cross-Staff:

  • NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers a "Make a Cross-Staff" activity that is perfect for a classroom setting. It’s a bit more "mathy," but great for older grandkids!

• Mariner’s Compass:

  • National Geographic Kids has a simple tutorial on making a floating needle compass, similar to the early Chinese "wet compasses."

• The Sextant (spoiler alert!) This didn't come around till the 18th century, so Columbus wouldn't have had it. But it is included in lists of antique navigational tools.  Here's a download of a plan to make a sextant, from NASA. 

The Spice Road (by sea) 

A lot of people were exploring the world some just for fun and others with a purpose. Columbus's exploration was purpose-driven. He was looking for a new way to get to what they called the "East Indies" specifically China, India, Indonesia and Japan. These places had a lot stuff people in Europe wanted, like beautiful fabrics and spices. There was actually a "Silk Road" and a "Spice Road" which were itineraries people followed to get to places like Mongolia and what's now Uzbekistan. But they were both long and dangerous. And to follow the Spice Route, you had to go through the treacherous, landlocked "Stans" (central Asia.) So Columbus reasoned, why not avoid the middle man (central Asia), sail around them to Indonesia and Japan, nab the spices, and back home, no problem. 

• The Silk Road (The Red Lines): This was the legendary land route. It stretched thousands of miles across mountains and deserts, connecting China and the "Stans" to Europe. This is where silk, paper, and gunpowder traveled by camel and horse.

• The Spice Road (The Blue Lines): Also called the Maritime Silk Road, these were the sea routes. Ships carried heavy goods like cinnamon, pepper, and cloves from the islands of Indonesia and the coasts of India up toward the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

💡 Teacher Omi’s "Aha!" Moment

When you show this to the kids, point out how the Silk Road goes right through the middle of land, while the Spice Road stays in the water.

"Columbus’s big idea was to find a 'Blue Line' (a sea route) that went all the way around the world to the West, so he wouldn't have to follow the long, dangerous 'Red Line' (land route) through the mountains!"

But there was a huge problem. In fact, several. 

1. The trip east by ship would be insanely long and probably even more dangerous. 

2. He couldn't afford it. And no one wanted to chip in on his crazy scheme. 

So he solved the second problem first, by hitting up crazy rich Spain, in the person of Queen Isabella for a loan. She was "on board" LOL for it, being very interested in the riches she hoped he'd find. He made several voyages, sailing from out of Portugal. The word Portugal means Port (or harbor) of Cale. He sailed from there because it was on the ocean. Now, to solve the first problem. Remember he was a  map maker. And Columbus reasoned, well, if sailing east won't work, how about we just sail west and sooner or later we'll get to east. 

The Flat Earthers

But that brings us to Columbus's third problem which was actually kind of also the first problem. Smart people like Columbus knew the earth was round. But a lot of people back then still thought the world was flat. They said "you're bonkers! You'll fall off the edge and be eaten by sea monsters!" Some even believed he was as heretic (one who denied God). But Queen Isabella said "it's so crazy it just might work!" (She really wanted those spices!) Even though, King Ferdinand was no on board. And Columbus finally after a lot of dithering and some failed attempts, did sail west. But there were some big plot twists in store for Columbus. 

Columbus's Great Math Mistake

Columbus knew that if you sail in one direction on a circle, you eventually come back to where you started. However, he made two major errors in his calculations:

1. The Earth was too big: Columbus believed the Earth was much smaller than it actually is. He relied on older maps that underestimated the Earth's circumference by thousands of miles.

2. Asia was too wide: He thought the "Indies" (Asia) stretched much further East than they really do.

   
   
   

That's what happens when you trust "influencers" instead of GPS

To explain why Columbus thought Asia was so much wider than it actually is, we have to look at the "influencers" of his time. He didn't just guess; he relied on two famous (but incorrect) sources that made the world's largest continent--Asia-- look even bigger.

1. Ptolemy’s Underestimation

Columbus used maps based on the work of Claudius Ptolemy, a 2nd-century mathematician. Ptolemy was brilliant, but he made a massive error in the Earth’s circumference. He thought the world was about 25% smaller than it actually is.

When you start with a "small" world, everything on the map has to be squeezed together. To Columbus, this meant the gap between Europe and Asia was much narrower.

    2. Marco Polo’s "Stretched" Asia

Columbus was an avid reader of Marco Polo, who had traveled to China (Cathay) and Japan (Cipangu) two centuries earlier.

• The Land Distance: Polo’s exaggerated descriptions of the vast distances across the Silk Road led mapmakers to believe that Asia stretched much further East toward the horizon.

• The Island Gap: Polo also wrote about thousands of islands off the coast of Asia. Columbus believed that once he sailed a certain distance West, he would start hitting these islands, which would serve as "stepping stones" to the mainland.

The Global Mix-Up

Because Columbus believed the Earth was smaller and Asia was wider, his math told him that the "East Indies" were right where the Caribbean actually is. And In his mind, the distance between Portugal and Japan was only about 2,400 miles. In reality, it is over 10,000 miles!

There's something in the way? 

The biggest reason Columbus thought his plan would work is that he—and everyone else in Europe—had no idea the Americas existed. Imagine you are running a race and you think the finish line is just around the corner. You don't realize that there's an extra part that doesn't show (North and South America) and a whole second ocean (the Pacific) standing in your way. Until you run smack dab into it. 

The Beach Ball Demonstration

• Take a plain colored beach ball and draw a quick outline of Europe and then Japan on the other, but leave a huge blank space in between.

• Ask them: "If I want to get from Europe to Japan, which way is faster?"

• They will see that going "West" looks like a shortcut!

• Then, take a marker and draw the Americas right in that blank space. Now they can see why Columbus was so surprised!

To be fair...

This is a reconstruction of the type of map Columbus likely relied on—specifically based on the theories of Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli.

It’s fascinating to see why he was so confident. Looking at this, you can clearly see:

• The "Small" World: Europe is on the far right, and "Cipangu" (Japan) and "Cathay" (China) are on the far left.

• The Missing Americas: There is nothing but open ocean between them!

• The Stepping Stones: You can see plenty of small islands scattered in the middle, which gave Columbus hope that he could stop for supplies along the way.

He still didn't get it!

In going west to get to east, Columbus famously banged into islands in the Caribbean which he didn't know were in the way. So he "discovered" north and south America, so to speak. But he was so convinced by his own math that he assumed he must be on the outskirts of India or Japan. He called the people he encountered, "Indios" because he could not wrap his head around the fact that he was not in the Indies.

Indians or not?

 The name Indians stuck for a number of reasons. Europeans didn't worry about who the people they thought of as "savages" really were. Or what they called themselves. So what do we call these first people, 500 years later? This is a great question that even major museums (like the National Museum of the American Indian) address. 

• American Indian: Surprisingly, many Indigenous people—especially from older generations—actually prefer "American Indian" because it is a legal term used in treaties and federal law. 

• Native American: This term gained popularity in the 1960s and 70s as a more respectful alternative to just "Indian." It is widely accepted today as a general umbrella term. But it's not used by the actual "native Americans" themselves. 

• Indigenous: This is currently the most preferred global term. It acknowledges that these people are the original inhabitants of the land and connects them to other first-nations peoples around the world, such as the aboriginal Māori. 

What do the people wish to be called? 

That is the most important question. And the most respectful way to refer to anyone is by their name. In the case of the original people in the Americas, use their specific Tribal Nation (like Lakota, Cherokee, or Anishinaabe) whenever possible. 

Free printable felt board patterns: ways to use feltboards in preschool lesson plans

Hello my Omschooligans! Today Teacher Omi is taking a walk down memory lane to when I was young. Back then, Sunday school teachers used a tool called Flannelgraph to tell Bible stories. As she told the story, she'd add paper pictures with felt or sandpaper on the back to a piece of flannel attached to a board. The pieces stuck but could also be rearranged. It these made great visuals as well as interactive lesson plans. 

Today we use a similar hands-on activity called a felt board. To teach emergent readers, preschool educators use felt boards to illustrate books and tell stories. As you tell a story, add felt pieces to story board to illustrate. 

Here are free printable feltboard patterns, stencils and felt board reading lesson templates from First Palette. First Palette has free printable stencils and templates of shapes, animals, nature, leaves and trees, flowers, numbers, letters, people, clothing, cars, transportation, food--any pattern you need for any preschool unit!

To make felt board pieces, print stencils, trace on felt or flannel and cut out patterns. Paint pens would probably work best for tracing. You can also just paper clip the template to the felt and cut around it.  Here are more links to free printable felt board patterns. 

Comprehensive Pattern Collections

• Fun Cloth Crafts: This site offers a fantastic "DIY Felt Faces" set to help children explore emotions, along with a weather-themed board. They provide clear, easy-to-use stencils that are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

• PreKinders Preschool Activities: A great source for classic storytelling sets like Ten Red Apples, Duck in the Truck, and It Looked Like Spilt Milk. These are designed specifically for educators to print, laminate, and use immediately.

• Flannel Board Fun (Freebie Section): While they have a large shop, they offer a very popular Free Cat Felt Board Pattern which includes 10 different cats for counting and color games.

  
  
  

Story-Specific Printables

• Jbrary Favorite Felt Stories: This is a goldmine for librarian-approved sets. They include patterns for favorites like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Slippery Fish, often accompanied by the specific rhymes or songs to go with them.

• Rock N Read Academy (via TPT): They offer a beautiful free printable for Itsy Bitsy Spider and Goldilocks. These are designed in black and white, which is a lovely touch—it allows the kids to color their own characters before you trace them onto felt!

Collections of Patterns, Stencils and Templates

• DLTK Coloring has over 50 free printable felt board stencils. Templates include geometric shapes, animal outlines, solar system, seasons, weather, holiday, snowflake patterns, food and other preschool theme shapes.

• Childcare Land has over 150 free felt board themes. Each theme has free printable felt board patterns, stencils, templates and activities. A helpful teaching video demonstrates how to use each lesson. Each kit has free printable stories. Pattern themes include months, animals, holiday patterns, seasonal, weather, children's literature, clothing, body parts, food, transportation, toys and games. Use free printable felt board patterns for science, social studies, reading, writing and math lessons.

• Making Learning Fun has a gigantic assortment of free printable felt board patterns. This site features complete children's book themed felt board patterns: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?, Cat in the Hat, Clifford, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, fables and more.

The History of Flannel-Graph

Originally called Flannelgraph (or sometimes Suede-Graph), this medium became a staple in the 1950s and 60s. It was designed as an affordable yet vivid way to teach. The "magic" relied on a simple mechanical principle: the fuzzy nap of the flannel board caught the coarse backing (often sandpaper or felt) of the paper figures, allowing them to "stick" at an angle on an easel.

The Gold Standard: Betty Lukens

While many companies produced these, Betty Lukens is perhaps the most famous name in the industry. For over 30 years, their "Through the Bible" sets have been used globally.

• The Scale: A complete set can include over 600 figures and objects.

• The Manuals: These sets came with detailed teacher's manuals (like the ABCJesusLovesMe guides) that provided scripted stories, telling the teacher exactly when to place "Noah" or "the lost sheep" on the board.

Vintage Characteristics

If you are looking for authentic vintage sets (like those found on eBay or in historical archives), you'll often see:

• Bright, Mid-Century Illustrations: Figures often featured the distinct illustrative style of the 1960s—vibrant colors and simplified, friendly facial features.

• Specialized Sets: Beyond general Bible stories, there were specific holiday kits, such as 1963 Easter Suede-Graph sets.

• Interactive Backgrounds: Teachers wouldn't just place a person; they would "build" the scene, turning a simple cave into a home by adding felt doorways, windows, and small benches.