Why This Recipe:

Try making this stew with your students. This stew uses ingredients that the students bring in from home and, therefore, the end result is always a "surprise".

Given its "surprise" nature, this recipe provides an excellent opportunity for students to make predictions, observations and conclusions about the stew:

• Scientific Stew - Have students make predictions about how certain ingredients will affect the color, taste, look, smell, etc. of the stew. Have the students observe the stew as it cooks, to see how the different ingredients change the smell and look of the stew. Taste the stew after it is cooked to see how the different ingredients combine to create the stew's flavor. How do the results compare with the students' predictions?
   
• Compare and Contrast - Have students put different ingredients and spices in the two stews to compare and contrast the different recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 large soup pot
• water
• assorted ingredients (vegetables, spices, etc.)

Directions:

1. Send home a note with each child a few days before making the soup, asking parents to give their child one ingredient to add to the stew.
    
2. Have children add the ingredients that they brought.
    
3. Pour enough water in the pot to cover all of the ingredients.
    
4. Cover the pot and bring the stew to a boil.
    
5. Lower the heat and let the stew simmer for at least two hours.
    
6. Check the stew as it cooks and add water if the mixture becomes too thick.
    
7. Eat and enjoy! This soup never comes out the same way twice--but it is always delicious!