No drumsticks at this Thanksgiving feast!

Gilpin preschoolers learn about sharing through Stone Soup celebration by Patty Unruh What’s the key to a great Thanksgiving dinner? Well, usually, the turKEY. However, in Beth Worley’s preschool classroom at Gilpin County School, there were no drumsticks served at the annual Stone Soup celebration. The little ones drew a big crowd of parents, grandparents, and siblings on Tuesday morning, November 22, to partake of delicious vegetable soup and to demonstrate a valuable lesson in sharing. Is there really a stone in the soup? Tradition says “yes,” but no one has ever found it in their bowl. Across the hall from the classroom, Beth Worley helped her young charges don the turkey headdresses and macaroni necklaces they had made for the occasion. Family members waited expectantly for the troops to make their grand entrance. At last the moment arrived. The boys and girls began with two short songs for the listening pleasure of their audience, then gathered around Ms. Beth to hear the story of Stone Soup. In this European folk tale, three soldiers coming back from a war were hungry, for they had not eaten in two days. As the men went through a village, they knocked on doors and asked for a bite to eat, but the villagers were afraid of them and claimed to have no food to give them. The soldiers, however, were wise men, so they said, “We need to make stone soup. The first thing we need is a big pot.” The townspeople rounded up a pot, and the soldiers made a fire under it and filled it with water. Then they added some stones. The soup smelled good, they said, but it needed a few carrots, which the villagers reluctantly provided. Perhaps a few potatoes, corn, and onions would help, said the soldiers. The villagers contributed those, too. Finally, the soup was done, and everyone had plenty to eat. The villagers, and the preschoolers, learned that when people share, everyone has enough. Talking about the soup made everyone hungry, so each preschooler hurried to do his or her assigned job: ladling out the soup, offering fruit, goldfish crackers, veggie fries, or Jello, serving juice, or garnishing pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Those who weren’t partial to pumpkin could satisfy their sweet tooth with a Hershey’s Kiss. Like the villagers, each child shared by bringing an ingredient for the soup, including Miryam Bellinsky, Lila Blake, Calvin Bullis, Nino Guiliano, Anela Hockley, Clementine Innis, Mia Johnson, Haiden Kennedy, and Leo McCollough. Student Aaron Dysart was not able to be present. The children were assisted by paraprofessionals Kate Schlossler and Ary Knaus, elementary secretary Joni Schmidt, and technology teacher Patrick Linnehan. Superintendent David MacKenzie and Elementary Principal Heather Huntoon also visited the classroom. Like most cooks, the kids enjoyed their own creation. “It’s good soup! The carrots are my favorite!” exclaimed one. “I got the stone!” claimed another, but he wasn’t sure exactly how to describe the taste. Perhaps it resembled a bit of underdone potato? Others soaked up their dinner rolls with the soup, shared crackers with plastic dinosaur friends, or succumbed to the temptation to eat dessert first. These adorable three- and four-year-olds left their families with a precious thought that decorated their turkey handprint placemats: “This isn’t just a turkey, as anyone can see. I made it with my hand, which is a part of me. It comes with lots of love, especially to say: I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving Day!” We can take a lesson from the preschoolers. Although Thanksgiving 2016 is past, may we, like them, continue to count our blessings.

No drumsticks at this Thanksgiving feast!

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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