Category Archives: Strong Porter House Museum

Story Stones- Story Resources

Story Stones- Story Resources

The rain ceased, the clouds disappeared, the dry summer commenced. Just below a course mountain of volcanic rock where hill meets level plain, that is where the last bit of water  glistened on river rocks. They waited….

Not for a drink but for more stories about rocks and stones. For time to explore and time to ponder the meaning. Do you have stone stories, carved in stone stories,  stones throw stories? Add them in the comments box at the bottom of this post.

Story of a Strong woman in stone ( and I meant the pun)  she sent six of her sons to the cause of the American Revolution and son Nathan Hale became the first American spy to die in service ( his statue in CIA headquarters) “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”. This stone at her home on South St. in Coventry, CT next to the Nathan Hale Homestead Museum.
http://www.ctcoventryhistoricalsociety.org/
This quoted section from the Sons of the American Revolution website will entice you to read more about Nathan Hale:
Hale asked for a Bible, but his request was refused. He was marched out by a guard and hanged upon an apple-tree in Rutgers’s orchard. The place was near the present intersection of East Broadway and Market Streets. Cunningham asked him to make his dying “speech and confession.” “I only regret,” he said, “that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

More on Nathan Hale :
http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/hale_nathan.html

Safety is being high up to see an impending attack, with time to prepare. Being closer to your God may mean climbing a stone face to a summit. Together they are the historical  view of colonial Norwich CT., Meetinghouse Rocks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwichtown

Incredible view on a summer day and not such a bad climb, a carriage road was added at some point and I walked down that way. You might need an entire week to walk all the historic spots of Norwich. The list is compiled at: http://www.norwichchamber.com/visit  So many stories in that old town.

A stone sink or water trough converted to a fountain decorates a garden. At some point in its life I can envision the horses stopping by for water.  http://fleurywinery.ewinerysolutions.com//index.cfm
This would be a fun  image to base a story around, There were three streams channeled  to the drinking trough and all flowed every day, except….. go ahead finish it! ( you can put a answer in the comment box if you choose)
The Fountain of Peace is a Canadian Project to gather stones and stories of the world, read more at: http://www.fountainofpeace.com/stonesstories.html

Could a stone and story post be finished if it didn’t include Stone Soup?

These pots of soup were cooked from the collective donations of after school students who heard a personalized version of stone soup.  Not only that but the soup itself was cooked on a camp stove outside on a frosty winter day and served up after the kids played in the snow. That is a story memory all wrapped up in one! Shel Silverstein, Captain Kangaroo ( dating myself) and Jim Henson all used stone soup stories. I have my own version that is specific to where I tell it, farmers market, after-school, camp,senior housing. Need more ideas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_soup , take it a step further with these printable resources from Scholastic : http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=39415

Stone Games? Again it is the after school kids whose favorite game Mancala goes on the road with us to a picnic in a state park. Children have played with stones for all of time I believe.

This is the most popular game in the  age 5-13 after school program I work with. You can read more of the intriguing history of Mancala  from Wiki at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mancala

Earlier Historical posts:
https://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com/a-ct-maritime-story-from-geneology/

https://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com/nautical-storytelling-and-sea-chantey-music/

and just for fun…
https://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com/laughter-is-the-best-medicine/