What Stimulates: Empathy, Compassion
Preparation and materials:
- large pot
- Large pot of drinking water
- 5-7 different vegetables
- clean stone
- Large kitchen spoon
- Knife for the adult to use
- Resource: 'The History of Stone Soup' (attached)
Recommended ages:
3 to 5 years
5 to 8 years
Why is this activity important?
The story of Sopa de Pedra is common in many cultures around the world, although how the story is told varies slightly depending on the context. What the story shares, regardless of where it is told, is the value it places on empathy, sharing and compassion for others. This activity is designed to bring adults and children together to work towards a common goal: sharing a meal. It develops the interconnection between ourselves and the other, particularly if this soup is shared with those in need. It demonstrates our empathy and compassion for others and concretely demonstrates to children how we can help others
How to make:
FOR AGES 3-5 AND 5-8 YEARS
Prepare and cut the vegetables into large pieces and place next to the pot and jug of water.
Then read 'The Story of Stone Soup' with your child. As you read the story, start making the soup as the traveler does with his 'magic' stone. Add ingredients as villagers do, mixing as you go. To make it more interesting, invite the children to participate.
During or after reading the story, ask your child:
- At the beginning of the story, what do you think the traveler could do with the stone?
- What should we do if someone shows up at our door asking for food because they are hungry?
- What did the villagers share with the traveler?
- What happened after the villagers shared their food with the traveler? How do they feel?
- In the end, why were the villagers grateful to the traveler?
- Who could we share our soup with?
Enjoy cooking your soup together! Be careful when using the hot stove and always supervise your child.
Finally, share your soup with people in your community; it could be a neighbor, family member, or someone in need. Consult religious or spiritual texts or scriptures relevant to your context that talk about being hospitable to others. You can also emphasize the importance of sharing with those in need.
Tips on how to do this activity in a group
Before doing this activity, have each child prepare and bring one of their favorite vegetables to add to a group soup. If that's not possible, you'll need to collect the vegetables (or ask for input from local growers, a neighbor with a vegetable garden or a fruit shop, for example) and prepare them to add to the pot. Make sure there is one vegetable per child so each child has something to add to the pot. If there is an older child reading with confidence, you can ask them to read the story or help make the soup while you read the story.
Resource. The History of Stone Soup
A hungry traveler was wandering through the countryside and hadn't had a good meal in a long time. One day the traveler saw a beautiful village in the distance. The hungry traveler was very excited and said to himself, "I must find someone in the village to come and eat with me."
As the traveler ran towards the city, he tripped over a rock in the road. The stone was unlike any he had ever seen before. It was perfectly smooth and oval in shape. The traveler looked at the stone carefully and decided he would keep it. "You never know when a stone like this might come in handy," he said. Then he happily headed for the village. His empty stomach rumbled as he walked. When the traveler arrived in the village, things did not go as smoothly as he had hoped. He stopped at a few houses with no luck finding a meal. Nobody had food to share.
One of the houses the traveler went to was very quiet. All doors and windows were closed. The traveler began to think that no one was home. Finally, a lady appeared at the door. "Can you give me some food?" the traveler asked him: “I have been traveling for days and I am very hungry.” "Sorry, but I only have a few potatoes," the woman said. "There's not enough to save or share. Why don't you try my next door neighbor?"
"I already did," said the traveler, "but he was very grumpy and slammed the door. It seems that finding food in this village will be more difficult than I thought." Even so, the hungry traveler refused to give up.
The traveler visited every house in the village, but no one had enough food to spare or share. In one house there was only cabbage, in the next only carrots, and a third had only salt and pepper. As there was no food for the hungry traveler, he decided to move on. Before he got very far, he began to feel tired. He decided to rest for a while in the cool shade of a tree on the outskirts of the village. He sat down under the tree and looked back at the quiet little town. "It's a pity," he thought, "such a beautiful village and such a beautiful day, but no one is outside talking or playing." Then she reached into her bag and pulled out the smooth, oval stone she'd found earlier in the day. As he sat admiring the stone, he suddenly had a brilliant idea! The traveler ran back to the village and shouted, "Come out of your houses, everyone will have enough to eat, and there will even be enough to spare and share!" I have a magic stone, and it will give us enough food for a wonderful meal. Everyone in the city, one by one, the curious villagers peered through the doors and windows. The sullen villager who slammed the door on the traveler earlier looked outside. from his window and shouted, "What's all this noise?" "Come and help me make a pot of delicious stone soup," said the traveler.
The maid came out of her house as two excited children ran up to the traveler. A child asked, "Is that your stomach I hear rumbling?" “Yes”, the other replied, “I am very hungry”. “Does anyone have a big pot for us to start with?” the traveler asked. "I have one you can use," said the big, grumpy villager, "but I don't think it will do any good. I don't think your magic stone really works." Most villagers were excited, but some felt the same way as the big, grumpy villager. "Do you really believe he can make soup with a stone?" asked a young woman. "I think we'll find out soon enough," said another. “I certainly hope he can. I haven't had good soup in a long time.” The grumpy villager brought out his big kettle and set it on a pile of kindling for the fire. "Here it is," he said. "Now let's see if that magic stone of yours can really make enough soup for all of us." "Don't worry," said the traveler, "there will be many." The traveler placed the smooth, oval stone in the water kettle and began to stir. After a while he tasted the soup. "Not bad," said the traveler, "but I think I could use a little salt and pepper."
"I have," said one of the young women, "I will run home and get them." "Maybe the soup would be even better if I shared my potatoes," the lady suggested. "Yes, that's a great idea," said the traveler. “Why don't you take them, and we'll add them right away.” The young woman came back and threw salt and pepper into the kettle. Then the maid came back and put in her potatoes. Once again the traveler stirred the stone soup. When he tasted it a second time, all the villagers watched him anxiously. "This is very good, but it would be even better with some carrots and cabbage," said the traveler. So a boy ran home to get some carrots and a girl ran home to get her cabbage. Everyone was having so much fun they forgot how hungry they were. Even the big grumpy villager was no longer grumpy. "Let's make this meal a feast!" he screamed. The girl returned with the cabbage, and the boy soon followed with his carrots. "Just think, a huge pot of soup made of a magic stone," said the boy. "Can't wait to try it!" "Neither do I," said the girl. Finally, the traveler announced that the stone soup was ready to eat. He filled all the bowls and the villagers began to eat. Then there was a lot of soup left. "There's enough to save and share!" said the young woman.
The villagers were so happy after dinner that they didn't want the night to end. They started playing music together and dancing with each other. Finally, the village was alive with conversation and laughter. "I didn't know you could play the banjo," said the lady to the big villager. "And I didn't know you could touch the washboard," he replied. "I think there was a lot we didn't know until the traveler arrived," said the maid. The next morning, the traveler said goodbye to his new friends in the village. It was time for him to leave. "I want you to have this," said the traveler as he handed the smooth oval stone to the villagers, "Now you can always make stone soup together and you will never be hungry, sad or in a bad mood again." Each of the villagers hugged the traveler and told him to come back and visit him someday. Everyone was very grateful and looked forward to seeing the traveler again. As the traveler left the lovely little village, he stumbled over another rock in the road. He took it at once and admired its dark, jagged edges. He looked at the stone carefully and finally decided to keep it. "You never know when a stone like that might come in handy," he said to himself as he tucked it into his bag.