Prairie Life Week Four

Reading:

Read or listen to chapter four in Little House in the Big Woods.

Copywork, dictation or recitation:

Use the quote from above for copywork this week. It is a lovely thought about remembering the holidays as a child. Print your own copy from Prairie Life.

Prairie Food:

Laura and her cousins ate pancake men for breakfast. Have you made pancake men before? Grant and I have tried with little success. One morning this week, have a family breakfast day and make pancake men. Share your photos with us through email and leave a comment below on how they turned out. Here is our favorite RECIPE

Canning was done off and on depending on where Laura and her family lived. Drying fruit was done to preserve some through the winter too. We have a recipe for drying fruit HERE.

Grant, Grayson, and I enjoy canning each spring depending on the fruit we find in season. Join us with your ingredients and let’s make some strawberry preserves.  Print your recipe HERE.

Watch the video tutorial of Grant and I showing how to preserve strawberries.

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Grow a Plant:

Growing your own food can be a rewarding experience. Start with a small project that you can be successful with before plowing up your yard! Pick something simple like sunflowers or green beans. Both can be grown in a container and cared for easily. Share with us what you have chosen to grow.

Thoughts on chapter four:

• How did Laura and Mary make candy?
• How did the children make pictures in the snow? Have you ever made pictures in the snow?
• Why did Prince not let Eliza go to the spring for water? What would you have done?
• Would you be excited to receive peppermint candy for Christmas? Try some peppermint candy sticks.
• What special gift did Laura receive? Can you tell us in the comments what she named her?
• What did the cousins use to keep warm on the ride home?

[pullquote align=”normal”]”The room was still and warm and full of fire-light.” [/pullquote]

Fire:

Fire was very important in pioneer days. Fire cooked food, it sterilized items and it kept families from freezing to death in the winter. The story tells us that the fire never went out in the winter. Keeping wood cut and the fire burning takes work. What do you think Pa used to start fires with? Let us know in the comments.  We think perhaps he used some sort of flint and steel to make a spark. Grayson shows you how to build a fire using flint and steel, along with the terms for other fire building components.

Grayson’s Primitive Fire

Field Trip:

Visit a U-Pick farm if the season allows where you live. Fruit and vegetables of all kinds can be found at a local farm. Visit a farmer’s market and try some new vegetables or purchase some homemade jam and compare it to yours!