Stone Soup

When we each give a little, we can feed the whole world.

Marianne Larned

The beauty of this soup is, you can use whatever you have, ask your child about their favorite vegetables and use those, or invite some friends over and ask each to bring one ingredient to add to the soup.  When I taught preschool at Shorewood, we made this soup every year, and it always delighted the children.

Here's What You Need:
a "magic" stone that you and your child have chosen together. Clean it well, and boil it in water a few minutes to purify.
A large pot.
A bit of olive or canola oil.
Onions, celery, carrots, potatoes....clean out the refrigerator! Or, invite friends to participate and bring a few ingredients.  
Optional:  chicken or vegetable stock, but water works just fine!  Tomato paste, salt, pepper, seasonings.  Anything you would normally put in your soup.
Here's What You Do:
*Read the story below and have storytelling time with you children--you can tell it in your own words. Or, go to the library and check out one of the versions recommended at the end of this post.
*Take a walk together and select your magic stone. Clean it well.
*Chop up vegetables, letting your child help as much as possible.  Peeling the vegetables is optional--many of the nutrients are actually contained there, and it gives the soup a rustic look if you chop without peeling.
*Add a little oil to the bottom of the pot and saute onions, garlic and celery, if you are using them.  
*Add several cups of water, stock or broth to the pot.  Add your clean, magic stone.
*dump in all of your chopped vegetables and other ingredients.  (tomato paste, barley, cooked rice, quinoa, your choice!)
*Bring soup to a boil for two minutes, and then turn to medium/low--and cook until veggies are tender/crisp.  (not too soft)
*Have dinner with your family, friends and neighbors--whoever contributed to the stone soup!  Great with crusty bread, corn bread, or tortillas.

Stone Soup
A Folktale

     There was once a man who had been traveling for a long time. Having run out of food, he was weary and hungry from his journey. When he came upon a small village, he thought, "Maybe someone could share some food."

When the man knocked at the first house, he asked the woman who answered, "Could you spare a bit of food? I’ve traveled a long way and am very hungry." "I’m sorry, but I have nothing to give you," the woman replied.

     So the traveler went to the next door and asked again. The answer was the same. He went from door to door and each time he was turned away. Not one of the villagers were willing to oblige the man as times were tough and no one had much to spare.

But then one villager said, "All I have is some water." "Thank you," the traveler said smiling gratefully, "We can make some soup from that water. We can make stone soup."

     He asked the man for a cooking pot and started building a small fire. As the water started to boil, a passing villager stopped and asked him what he was doing. "I’m making stone soup," the traveler replied. "Would you like to join me?" The curious villager agreed.

     "First, we must add a special stone," said the traveler. "One with magic in it." He reached into his knapsack and carefully unwrapped a special stone he’d been carrying with him for many years. Then he put it in the simmering pot.

     Soon people from the village heard about this strange man who was making soup from a stone. They started gathering around the fire, asking questions. "What does your stone soup taste like?" asked one of the villagers. "Well, it would be better with a few onions," the traveler admitted. "Oh, I have some onions," he replied.

Another villager said, "I could bring a few carrots." Someone else offered, "We still have some potatoes in our garden. I’ll go get them."

     One by one, each villager brought something to add to the pot. What had started as just some water and a magic stone, had now become a delicious soup, enough to feed the whole village. The traveler and the villagers sat down together to enjoy their feast, and the miracle they’d help to create.  

---

Stone Soup Inspirations

The Stone Soup Folktale has been the inspiration for many other groups and organizations. Most notably the book, Stone Soup for the World edited by Marianne Larned. This collection of heartwarming stories, many which can be found on the Stone Soup for the World website, feature ordinary people doing extraordinary things and show that greatness grows out of simple acts of giving. After reading the inspirational stories, we hope you catch the Stone Soup spirit, which is the belief that "Like the traveler in the folktale, we each have a magic stone: the power to give and get others to join us in building a world that works for everyone."

The Stone Soup Foundation works to support the premise of the stone soup story, that with a little imagination, cooperation and goodwill, we can make the world a better place.

Somewhere on this planet, someone has a solution to each of the world's problems.It might be one of us.The future is in our hands and the hands of our children.With your help, we can build a more hopeful world.What can you do today, tomorrow, next week, next year?And if you sometimes think you haven't enough time, energy, or resources,remember the Stone Soup folktale:When we each give a little, we can feed the whole world.

Marianne Larned 

By Ann McGovern

By Heather Forest

By Jon J. Muth

By Marcia Brown

By Jess Stockham

Autumn Leaves

*

Photo Credits:  Seth Chrisman

     Yesterday, we took a walk in the unseasonably golden sunshine of a Seattle afternoon.  The leaves were blazing with vivid color--we gathered up a bunch and brought them home to preserve them in translucent wax paper.  Remember this childhood classic?

Here's What You Need:

fresh-gathered colorful leaves

2 sheets of wax paper for each picture

an iron

paper towels or thin dishcloth

Here's What You Do:

*Your child chooses favorite leaves and arranges them on a sheet of wax paper.  Be sure to leave an inch between leaves so the wax paper can melt around them and hold them in place.

*When the design is complete, place another sheet of wax paper over the top--like a leaf sandwich.

*An adult turns the iron on low.  Place a paper towel or thin dishcloth over the picture to protect the iron from the wax. An adult gently presses the iron to the picture.  Move it slowly over all of the leaves so the wax melts and seals them in place.  Make sure the edges are melted together, too.

*Trim around the edges to make them neat--(I decided to round the corners) and then tape it to a window and admire your creation!

Here are some fall books to enrich your autumn adventures!

by Lois Ehlert

by Elizabeth Maestro

by Linda Glaser

by Zoe Hall

by Lois Ehlert

Falling Leaves Finger Play

Four little leaves  (hold up 4 fingers)

Sitting on a tree, (Put them on back of other hand)

One fell off  (make 1 tumble down)

Then there were three.

Three little leaves (hold up 3 fingers)

All yellow and brown,

One danced away (make 1 swirl away )

Down to the ground  (touch the floor)

Two little leaves (hold up 2 fingers)

Waving in the breeze. (wave them about)


One flew off (make one "fly" away)
Away from the trees.

One little leaf (hold up last finger)

Left on the tree—

Said “goodbye wind!” (wave goodbye)

And flew down to me. (point to self)

from the book "Grow It, Cook It......*

When Life Gives you Lemons....................

 ......make lemon ice pops!!

If you are lucky enough to live in a part of the world that grows lemon trees, you may be able to pick them from your own backyard.  We went to Arizona one year for Thanksgiving at my brother's home and they had a bounty of lemons from their own tree! (Thanks, John and Shan!) We made lemonade, lemon mousse pie, lemon french toast, etc.  


Here in Seattle, I get my lemons from the produce section of the market.


Try this cool, zingy recipe from the book Grow It, Cook It:  Simple Gardening Projects and Delicious Recipes, from DK Publishing.


Here's What You Need:


6 juicy lemons
1 cup honey
3 cups cold water
18 small, empty yogurt cups (save 'em up!) or small Dixie paper cups


Here's What You Do:


*Put the honey in a saucepan and finely grate the zest from 3 of the lemons--add the zest and 2 cups of water to the honey.  Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring, then remove from heat.
*Squeeze the juice from all of the lemons--should be about 1 cup.
*Strain the honey and lemon zest solution through a strainer into a bowl.  Add the lemon juice a bit at a time.  Stir and taste--keep adding lemon juice to your taste. 
*Put the lemon mixture in the fridge to cool.
*Add the last cup of water when the mixture is cool and stir well.
*Pour into the empty yogurt containers and freeze until firm but not solid.
*Insert a popsicle stick into each container in the middle.  Freeze until solid.
*Enjoy while cooling off on a summer day!


Cheater Version:


*Make cold lemonade from frozen concentrate.  Pour into containers and freeze until firm. Insert the sticks and freeze until solid. Lots quicker, but then again--"it's the process, not the product!"


*Check out the book!  

Magical Fireflies....

Scroll down for a related poem and activity to enrich your reading of the book.

In the inside cover, the author, Eric Carle tells us that The Very Lonely Firefly is the 4th book in his VERY quartet and it is about belonging. "We all want to belong to a group, a family, our own fellow creatures."

The first book in the VERY quartet, and probably the most familiar is The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with the theme of hope.

The second book is The Very Busy Spider, and is focused on our need for work.

The third is The Very Quiet Cricket, about the universal search for love.

HOPE.....WORK.......LOVE......and BELONGING

Firefly

A little light is going by,
Is going up to see the sky,
A little light with wings.

I never could have thought of it,
To have a little bug all lit
And made to go on wings.

(Elizabeth Madox Roberts)

Firefly Craft

You can make your very own Fireflies. This is an easy and fun summer craft, suitable for toddlers on up!

Ages: 2 and Up 

Here's What You Need...

• Black construction paper
• White paint
• Paper plate or shallow dish
• Shiny, metallic pipe cleaners
• Wire cutters or sharp scissors
• Glue 

Here's What You Do:

1. Pour some white paint into a paper plate or shallow dish. Make white thumb prints on your black paper, to look like wings of a firefly. Make a bunch of them all over your paper!

2. Cut your shiny pipe cleaners into small pieces to make the body of your bugs. Glue them in place and you're done! 
*from Busy Bee Kids Crafts

Scrumptious Smoothies!

While at the library the other day, I plucked a fun cookbook off the shelf--Kid's Cook 1-2-3, by Rozanne Gold. There are over 125 recipes, all made with only three ingredients!

Here are two recipes in the book sure to become family favorites around here! These refreshing smoothies are perfect for a summer morning breakfast or snack. It is an excellent team project—your little chef can add ingredients to the blender; the grown-up handles the appliance. 

Blueberry-Banana Smoothie

 serves 2

1 cup frozen blueberries  (freeze fresh ones if in season)

1 very ripe banana (I freeze them when they are getting too ripe to eat fresh, and then use them in smoothies)

8 ounces vanilla yogurt

Put the frozen blueberries in the blender.  Slice the banana, or break the frozen one up and add it to the blender.  Add the yogurt, 8 ice cubes and ¼ cup cold water.  Process on high until smooth, thick and creamy.  Add a little more water if it’s too thick.

Strawberry-Coconut Smoothie

serves 2

8 ounces ripe strawberries  (plus two berries for garnish, if you wish)

1 cup light coconut milk

2 ½ tablespoons sugar

Wash berries and pat dry.  Remove the stems and cut into thick slices.  You should have one cup of packed strawberries.

Put all the berries, coconut milk, and sugar into the blender along with 8 large ice cubes.  Blend until mixture is smooth and thick.  Serve immediately in 2 chilled glasses or refrigerate until very cold.  The mixture will thicken as it chills.

Garnish each serving with a whole strawberry.

By Rozanne Gold--check it out!

Great Books for Kids--your ideas, please!

My mom, Martha reading to her granddaughter, Darcy

     Reading together with children is something I cherish. In this section, along with reviewing new children's books, I would love to get a discussion going--what books do your children particularly enjoy and why? I was parenting young children in the mid-80's and early 90's, and then teaching preschool until 2007--so I know great ones from that era--Owl Moon, Grandfather Twilight, and my preschooler's favorites: the "No, David!" series.

What are your favorites?

     If you haven't used it already I want to let you know about "The Read-Aloud Handbook," by Jim Trelease. http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/ It is filled with ideas and is now in it's 6th printing. Here's another resource from my local library system: http://www.kcls.org/parents/kidsandreading/readytoread/index.cfm

     I look forward to hearing about your suggestions--please feel free to post in the comments section.

Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy

http://books.google.com/books/about/Ladybug_Girl_and_Bumblebee_Boy.html?id=48Q6MwAACAAJ

Children's Book Reviews

Coming Soon!!

Pancakes

Pancakes (from Laurel’s Kitchen)

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ cup wheat germ (or substitute more flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 ½ to 3 cups fresh milk

2 tablespoons oil

Stir together all of the dry ingredients.  Beat the eggs lightly and combine with the milk, then add to the dry ingredients and stir briefly.  Stir in the oil.

Heat the griddle.  It should be hot enough so that when you sprinkle water drops on the surface, they dance.  Pour the batter onto griddle by large spoonfuls. Cook over medium heat, turning once when bubbles come to the surface and pop and the edges are slightly dry.


Below is a fun little rhyme to memorize and recite while you are cooking together!

Mix a Pancake

(Author: Christina G. Rossetti - 1830-1894)

Mix a pancake,

Stir a pancake,

Pop it in the pan;

Fry the pancake;

Toss the pancake,

Catch it if you can.


After breakfast you can cuddle up and read this darling book!

Here's another fun pancake book,  this one is by Eric Carle