Materials needed: A big pot, a stone (washed), a burner for making soup, lots of prepped and washed vegetables in separate bowls: carrots, beans, potatoes, etc., broth (enough for the whole class), soup bowls and spoons Directions:

Divide the group into “families” of 3. Each family is assigned to make drawings of a vegetable. Family #1 makes carrots, Family #2 makes potatoes, and so on. The “families” are sitting at their desks and they have 5 minutes to draw.
On a separate table is the “fire” (the burner) and the prepped and washed vegetables (prepared by teacher or parent helper).
Assign one student to play the soldier. Explain that the teacher or a classmate will narrate the story, students will act it out as it's read.
The soldier carries the pot into the “village” and the action begins.
The narrator begins the story with the soldier’s entrance into the village, asking for food. The “villagers” hide their food at their desks and they all say they have no food to give the soldier. The soldier says he will make stone soup. He grabs a rock and puts it into his pot. The narrator calls the “families” to approach the soldier one “family” at a time. The soldier asks them if they have anything to add to the soup. Each family says, “No, we have nothing”, and they go back to their desks where the “food” is hidden. The soldier keeps stirring the pot with only the stone in it and says, “If only I had 3 carrots, I could make a soup the king would love.” The carrot “family” comes with the pictures of their carrots and they say, “We found some carrots in our garden, here!” One by one the “families” come with their pictures of ingredients for the soup, and throw them in the pot. Finally, all the ingredients have been added to the paper soup. The narrator finishes the drama by reading the rest of the story.
Meanwhile, the real soup cooks, and the teacher guides a discussion, using the Guiding Questions in the Companion Content.
Everyone enjoys a bowl of soup at the end of the day. Soup takes a long time to cook, so plan on serving it later on in the day when it’s finished.

Cooperation · Activity

Stone Soup

3rd & 4th Grade

Divide the group into “families” of 3. Each family is assigned to make drawings of a vegetable. Family #1 makes carrots, Family #2 makes potatoes, and so on. The “families” are sitting at their desks and they have 5 minutes to draw.
On a separate table is the “fire” (the burner) and the prepped and washed vegetables (prepared by teacher or parent helper).
Assign one student to play the soldier. Explain that the teacher or a classmate will narrate the story, students will act it out as it's read.
The soldier carries the pot into the “village” and the action begins.
The narrator begins the story with the soldier’s entrance into the village, asking for food. The “villagers” hide their food at their desks and they all say they have no food to give the soldier. The soldier says he will make stone soup. He grabs a rock and puts it into his pot. The narrator calls the “families” to approach the soldier one “family” at a time. The soldier asks them if they have anything to add to the soup. Each family says, “No, we have nothing”, and they go back to their desks where the “food” is hidden. The soldier keeps stirring the pot with only the stone in it and says, “If only I had 3 carrots, I could make a soup the king would love.” The carrot “family” comes with the pictures of their carrots and they say, “We found some carrots in our garden, here!” One by one the “families” come with their pictures of ingredients for the soup, and throw them in the pot. Finally, all the ingredients have been added to the paper soup. The narrator finishes the drama by reading the rest of the story.
Meanwhile, the real soup cooks, and the teacher guides a discussion, using the Guiding Questions in the Companion Content.
Everyone enjoys a bowl of soup at the end of the day. Soup takes a long time to cook, so plan on serving it later on in the day when it’s finished.

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