Sugar and Spice: Literacy and Learning: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

READ.

By Philip C. Stead

"Sick Amos McGee is a man who works at the zoo taking care of the animals. Day in and day out, he feeds the animals, plays with them, talks to them, and is a constant source of companionship in their lives.

Every day Amos does the same thing. He wakes up at the same time, takes the same bus to work, and visits the same animals in the same order.

One day, Amos gets sick. He cannot go to work, so he stays home and takes a sick day. He is not there for any of his animal friends. Each of them waits for Amos but he never shows up.

In the end, the animals all take a trip over to Amos' house to find him and cheer him up.

Even though Amos is just one man, his actions meant so much to those around him each day. He didn't realize the impact he made on so many until the day he didn't.

This is a great read with wonderful pictures and thought-provoking themes.

PLAY AND EAT.

Today we will be making "Sick Day Chicken Soup".

Make this soup with your kids anytime you hear of a friend or family member who is sick.

This particular version of chicken soup is so great for three reasons:

1) It's made in the slow cooker, so you can deliver it any time you are ready in the afternoon: take some for the sick person you are going to see and keep the rest in the slow cooker waiting for you when you return home!

2) Kids can help with adding slow cooker ingredients and you don't have to worry about an open flame on the stove to burn them

3) All of this soup's ingredients are bite sized (i.e. no long noodled, long shreds of chicken, etc), making this soup very kid friendly.

And, by the way, it TASTES . . . . AWESOME.

HERE is the recipe I found awhile back on Food Network upon which the following recipe is based. I found it several months ago while searching for healthy meal ideas for my family. Since then, I have never made another version of chicken soup. This one is just too tasty and easy for me to do anything else!

"Sick Day" Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I like to slow cook mine in the morning for 4 hours on low, remove them, dice them, and then add them back into the soup with the rest of the ingredients)

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 diced onion

7 cups chicken broth

4-5 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill (2 teaspoons dried)

zest of one lemon, or 2 teaspoons lemon juice

3/4 cup frozen peas

3/4 pasta (Ditalini is awesome)

Place chicken in slow cooker with 1 cup chicken broth and cook on low for 4 hours.

Remove chicken, place on cutting board, and dice to your size preference.

Saute carrots and onions in 1 T olive oil for 5 minutes until onions are translucent.

Slide diced chicken back into slow cooker along with sauteed carrots and onion, {then let the kiddos add} 6 cups chicken broth, dill, and lemon, and cook 3-4 more hours on low.

About 20 minutes before serving, add pasta and peas to soup (again, these two are good for the kids to add). Stir all together well.

Serve and enjoy!

Create your card by using leftover craft supplies like scrapbook paper, and markers. Punch a hole, tie some twine around it and attach to your container of soup!