Tumble Painting with Rocks

I was inspired by this post about painting with acorns at Teach Preschool, and I decided to try a variation to make invitations for our Stone Soup party!

You need:

Baby wipes container (or shoe box with lid, oatmeal container, coffee can, etc.)

Paint

Containers for paint

Spoons

Paper

Small rocks

1)  Place a 1/2 sheet of paper in the container.

2)  Put individual paint colors in small bowls and place rocks in paint.  Scoop rocks into wipes container.

3)  Close container and shake, shake, shake!

We experimented with various colors of paper.  The girls liked yellow the best!

Painting Rocks

The college I attended (a long time ago!) has an unusual history of painting rocks and adding them to a "mound." Every year, students design a rock and place it on a huge pile during a special Moundbuilding Ceremony.

This year we went to homecoming, and our girls had the opportunity to paint a rock and add it to the mound. It was a great activity for preschoolers!

You need:
Rocks
Paint
Q-tips and/or paintbrushes

1) Design and paint a rock!

It seems very simple, but preschoolers can be amazingly creative with this project!

Tasty Tuesday: Stone Soup

This is a frugal way to host a fun playdate and lunch!

Have you read Stone Soup? There are many variations, but the idea is the same! Some travelers are hungry and stop in a small town, but the townspeople refuse to feed them. The travelers begin to make "Stone Soup" with water and stones. When the people wonder if the soup is any good, the travelers trick them into sharing ingredients to make a wonderful soup!

The girls and I thought it would be great fun to host a Stone Soup party!! We're working on invitations, decorations, activities, (we'll post some ideas throughout the week) and finding stones for our soup!

You need:

Large pot
Stone Soup recipe (I borrowed this one from NellieEdge)
Serving bowls
Spoons
Crackers and/or bread

1) Invite friends to a Stone Soup party. Ask each guest to bring one item in the recipe. If you'd rather have a "surprise" soup, ask each person to bring a vegetable or two, meat, or noodles and you provide the broth.

2) Read through the book. Boil the water/broth and add the stone! Then, each family can add the item(s) they brought to the pot!

3) Cook the soup according to the recipe directions. If making a "surprise soup", follow these time guidelines:

*It will take 30 minutes to cook chunks of peeled potatoes, carrots, onions, or canned tomatoes.

*It will take 15 minutes to cook cauliflower or chopped celery.

*It will take 10 minutes to cook broccoli, frozen corn, leafy greens, and cabbage. Cook noodles according to package directions.

We made our own "surprise soup" for lunch. I let each child pick out one ingredient to add to the soup (and I added a few more). It turned out pretty well! We're excited about our party and will post pictures once we host it!

Linking up to Homeschool Creations: Preschool Corner!