Prairie Life Week Nine

Read:

Read chapters twelve and thirteen to finish the book.

Copywork:

Copy the poem above for copywork and narration.

Summary:

It is a busy time of the year at the Ingall’s place. Threshing the oats, braiding straw hats, hulling corn, and working the garden. Winter was on its way and there was so much to be done.

What was the big machine that helped Pa with the wheat?

What is horsepower and how much did the machine produce?

Watch a horse-powered threshing machine at a fair. Wheat Thresher

Ma gathers straw and begins braiding. Laura says she spent all her spare time for weeks braiding straw to make hats. I found this video that shows you how to braid straw. Give it a try!  Wheat Weaving.

Ma cooked hulled corn with ash to create hominy. This was served with milk and was a staple food in the fall and winter. Making hominy was a long process. Today you can buy hominy in a can. Add hominy to your grocery list this week. Be warned that it is not a favorite of most people who did not grow up eating it. Salt and maple syrup may help!

The last chapter is Deer in the Woods. Pa went out one night to shoot a deer. What did Pa use to attract deer to the open field?

Instead of bringing home meat for the family, what did Pa do instead?  Re-tell the story to your parents or siblings.

[pullquote align=”normal”]The long winter evenings of fire-light and music had come again. [/pullquote]

Laura and Mary often saw animal tracks in the snow. Use the lesson on animal tracks to learn about some that may be in your area. Find the lesson in Prairie Life.

Laura and Mary liked to make dishes and cups out of acorns and hulls of different nuts. Go for a walk in your yard or neighborhood and gather supplies of various kinds to make your own dishes and cups from nature.

History:

The Gold Rush was happening during the years of Laura’s childhood. Families were moving farther west than ever before with hopes of a better life and striking it rich. A fun way to close out the end of your book club experience would be to have a family gold rush party. Using items around your house and sharing with your family and friends all of your craft projects, you can create a fun party at home.

In my book, Prairie Life, I talk about how to plan an event, a timeline, and ideas on how to put it all together. These are skills that can come in handy in many areas of your life. I have included the pages about planning a gold rush party at home.

Learning about the gold rush can help you plan a fun party and help you understand the history surrounding it. Here are a few videos to watch. Be sure to do the activity sheets on the gold rush to learn more about everyday life during that time.

Gold Rush in California documentary

Photos set to the song “Sutter’s Mill”

Baking Bread and Friendship:

We have enjoyed having you in our book club. We have learned so many things together. I thought as our last recipe to share we could bake bread. Bread baking was a way of life for generations. It is how families survived during lean times and how they showed love to friends and family. I share our favorite bread recipe in the video above. Make one for your family and one to share.

[responsive_video type=’youtube’ hide_related=’0′ hide_logo=’0′ hide_controls=’0′ hide_title=’0′ hide_fullscreen=’0′ autoplay=’0′]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEwbYQppBoM&feature=youtu.be[/responsive_video]

Closing time:

Finish up all the projects you wanted to do during the book club. There were so many things to choose from! Make a ribbon journal or notebook of some kind to record your journey through Little House in the Big Woods. Take photographs of all of your work and glue copies in your notebook. Write about your favorite chapters and stories from the book.

[pullquote align=”normal”]She thought to herself, “This is now.” [/pullquote]

In the closing of the book, even at Laura’s young age, she realized that “this is now”. She wanted to remember Pa playing the fiddle and Ma in the firelight. I hope you remember the fun you have had with the book club and all the pioneering things you learned along the way.