2nd & 3rd Graders Make Stone Soup!

Yes, he is dropping a stone into that roaster full of bubbling broth!

Can you make soup out of stones? You can if you know the secret of Stone Soup. The story of Stone Soup is an old folk story in which hungry strangers (often soldiers or monks) persuade villagers to give them food. It is usually told as a lesson in community spirit and cooperation during hard times. This is a story the 2nd and 3rd graders of Mrs. Villarreal and Mrs. Stommens' classes at Klager Elementary have read and talked about for weeks. When it came time to make stone soup last Tuesday each student brought one vegetable from home to contribute and all it took was a couple of stones to turn their meager contributions into a huge roaster full of delicious soup. Every student took a turn peeling and chopping vegetables and adding them to the broth. With each addition the aroma grew more enticing. The soup cooked all morning and at the end of the day the classes enjoyed the soup along with slices of the extra pumpkin pies they'd cooked the day before (see the Pumpkin Pie recipe.) Mrs. Stommen and Mrs. Villarreal have been making stone soup with their classes for the last 7 or 8 years and it is a beloved tradition.

Click here to read one of the more wide-spread versions of Stone Soup.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.