Stone Soup

Here, at Singing Tree, we have been enamoured with the changing of the leaves and the cool crisp air.  Since we flow with Mother Nature and her offerings, we have been revelling in her gifts with leaf hunts,  cool walks, pumpkins and stone soup.  Yes, stone soup!

You might know the story of a hungry traveller, carrying a pot who arrives at a village starving.   He asks villagers if they have any food to share. but they deny him any food.  In his desperation, the traveller walks to the neighbouring stream, makes a fire and fills his pot with water.  He chooses a stone and places it in the water.  As the "stone soup" simmers, a villager walks by, and asks the traveller what he is making. The traveller replies: "Stone Soup, but it would be much more delicious with a vegetable."  The villager is then inspired to return to his neighbours and friends to ask if people could contribute to the Stone Soup.  In time the village comes together to make a communal soup and it's delicious.

This story demonstrates co-operation and what happens when people come together.  In order to bring this point home, we took all week last week to re-enact this story.  The children would contribute play food to the Stone Soup.  Come Friday we asked each child to bring a vegetable of their choice to daycare.  In the morning we got busy making bread and chopping vegetables, and re-enacted the story again but this time the children contributed real vegetables to a real soup.   Of course, there was a stone in the soup :)  It was so much fun and the children got a lot out of it.  Even a child who doesn't usually eat his soup, ate it.

Before our feast we lit a candle and took a moment of gratitude.  It was a great week that led into a great day.

Here is Leo meditating on what makes him grateful