Read and Discuss: Growing Vegetable Soup

Materials

• Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
• chart labeled “Plants We Eat”

Key Science Concepts

• Many of the foods we eat come from plants.
• We eat certain leaves, roots, fruits, and seeds.

Directions

Before you read: Show children the cover, and read the title and author’s name. Ask, What do you think “growing vegetable soup” means?  What do you think might happen in this story?

While you read: You may want to read the book straight through once. On a second reading, read the names of the vegetables next to the illustrations. Ask children which of these vegetables they’ve tried.

After you read:

• Ask children to name their favorite vegetable. Have any of them tried vegetable soup? What kinds of vegetables were in it? What did it taste like? 

• Turn to the page that says, “. . . until the vegetables are ready for us to pick.” Ask, Can you name vegetables that you pick from a plant? (Pictured are corn and peppers.)
• Turn to the next page that says, “. . . or dig up.” Ask, Can you think of vegetables you dig up from the ground? (Pictured are carrots and potatoes.)

Make a Chart

On a chart labeled “Plants We Eat,” list the vegetables children named. Add drawings of each vegetable beside the word.