Stone Soup: A Thanksgiving Tradition

Enjoying the Soup

Do you have any special traditions you do every year with your children?

At our center, Love To Grow On (http://lovetogrowon.com/), we have a Stone Soup meal the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We invite family, and friends to come join us for lunch on this special day. 

It started out as a small event 17 years ago and has grown. Today we had about 110 people at our feast.

Acting Out the Story

The children start learning about the story of Stone Soup right after Halloween. We usually use the French Tale about 3 hungry soldiers returning from war and the villagers who are afraid of strangers. The villagers are trying to protect what little they have left. There are so many good versions we read several throughout the month.

We talk about the ingredients used in the soup and we make a Friendship Salad to add to the meal. Families sign up to bring several items to complete the meal and invitations are sent out to invite people to our meal. We always invite family and friends of the children and staff, volunteers who help at our school and occasionally other guests. One year Minnesota's Governor Al Quie joined us for our meal.

Washing the Carrots

The Monday before Stone Soup we all work together to make the soup. The infants and toddlers help wash the potatoes, apples and carrots. The preschool classes cut the carrots, and potatoes, family members come in and help cut up grapes and oranges up for the fruit salad (Friendship Salad).  It is a tradition that still excites our School Age kids even though they are at school during the meal.

Cutting Carrots

They still help with cutting up vegetables and fruits, setting out tables and devouring leftovers when they return from school.  It is a tradition many families talk about and miss even after their children have aged out of our care.
"It was delicious and such a great tradition. Sad that it's our last. Thank you!" parent of an older preschooler

"First time in 4 years we haven't gone :(. Such a wonderful tradition." Recently moved family

"Today, I was thinking and missing this wonderful tradition that was happening at LTGO!!" Former staff member

"Darn, that smells good! Wish we had no school today!" Current School Ager.

"I want my soup! I already tried it and it tastes good, I want my soup now."  Younger Preschooler

My not so little nieces

I love it because of the fond memories it creates for everyone. When my nieces were little they came with my parents to help prepare the meal and share the meal.  Isabelle enjoyed the time with her Auntie, even though she was very unhappy the soup was full of vegetables.  Elizabeth took charge, helping the "little kids" learn how to cut, even though she was their age or a little older.  She loved the leadership role and being her Auntie's helper.

We try to extend this idea of tradition; by asking parents to share with us holiday traditions they do, special foods they make or games they play during the holidays. We then try to incorporate many of those ideas in our classroom to celebrate the families that make up our classroom family. 

Our Stone Soup Recipe:

Stock Pots Cooking Away

Chicken Stock
Chicken Base
Cut Frozen Carrots 
Baby carrots
Potatoes
Onions
Cans of Corn, Peas & Tomatoes
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garlic (fresh)
Paprika
Curry (sweet & hot) to taste
a dash of Season Salt
a pinch of Sage

Start on simmer the day before, do not let come to a boil!
Remove after 5 hours or so of cooking and keep in fridge over night.  Start the rewarming 6 hours before the meal and again do not let it boil.  Chicken soups loose their flavor if boiled.

Our Friendship Salad Recipe:

Identifying the Fruits & Vegetables for our Meal

Bananas
Apples
Mandarin Oranges
Grapes (quartered)
Fruit Cocktail 
Cool Whip

Drain the cans of fruit.  Mix all fruit cut up with the cool whip and chill before serving.  Leave out any fruits that toddlers and infants can not eat mix the salad pull some off for them and add in the fruits held out once you have some set aside for younger children.

We also ask for rolls (white & wheat) and butter to add to the meal.

Tasting the Soup before the Big Meal

Stories of our favorite stories on Stone Soup:

Stone Soup (Aladdin Picture Books) by Marcia Brown  (Author, Illustrator)

Stone Soup by Ann Mcgovern (Author),‎ Winslow Pinney Pels (Illustrator)

Stone Soup by Jon J Muth 

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