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 or corn
2 cups chopped cabbage
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
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.
The First Contribution: Add the onions and garlic. Let them simmer until the water begins to smell fragrant.
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
