A Little House Virtual Field Trip ~

As I’ve written before, the Little House books have influenced my life since I first read them as a little girl. I’ve read the entire series several times and have always had a dream – a dream that this year is going to come true!

I’ve always wanted to walk where Laura walked, see where she lived, and be inspired as a family along the way. Well, this summer it’s happening!

In June we’ll be heading west as a family – not in a covered wagon, but a minivan – to the Little House sites in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota on a massive road trip.

I’m beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to do this as a family, but then I thought – why not take you guys along with me?

Of course, you won’t all fit in the minivan, but why not put together a virtual field trip so you can take your kids to Laura’s homes from your dining room or coffee table?

Ready? Let’s go!

A Little House virtual field trip

Stop 1. Pepin, Wisconsin

Books written about this site: Little House in the Big Woods

Head to Little House in the Big Woods on Google Earth

Laura was born in the Big Woods in 1867, and she describes this first childhood home in Little House in the Big Woods. The Ingalls lived here twice, and the memories Laura shares in the book actually take place after they returned from the Kansas prairie.

If you look at the satellite view, you’ll see that only a few trees remain, but there’s a replica cabin located at the site and a picnic area to hang out in.

Take a tour of Little House, Pepin:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about Pepin:

• About the site – Wikipedia
• Read the highway marker at the site.
• More photos of Laura’s birthplace
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Pepin

Stop 2. Independence, Kansas

Books written about this site: Little House on the Prairie

Head to Little House on the Prairie on Google Earth

Laura’s family moved here in 1869 and settled on land belonging to the Osage Indians, having received word that the land would soon be available for settlers. After a year of persevering through hardships and dealing with tensions between the Native Americans and settlers, the Ingalls were forced to leave Kansas.

Today a replica cabin sits on the site, furnished the way Laura described in the book. Pa’s hand dug well stands nearby as well.

Take a tour of the Laura’s little house as it looks today:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about the Kansas site:

• Read the marker at this site.
• More photos of the site near Independence.
• Kansas travel – Little House

Stop 3. Walnut Grove, Minnesota

Books written about this site: On the Banks of Plum Creek

Head to Walnut Grove on Google Earth (scroll up a little to see the original dugout site)

After leaving Kansas and spending a few years back in Wisconsin, the Ingalls moved to Minnesota in 1874 and lived in a sod house for the winter. Pa eventually built a house on the property (which Laura called “the wonderful house,” as it was the largest she had lived in at that point).

Both houses are gone, but Plum Creek–ah, that’s still there! I’m looking forward to taking off my shoes and wading in it, just like Laura did.

The site of the dugout has been marked, and Walnut Grove has a museum dedicated to Laura and the time period. The church bell that Pa donated his shoe money for hangs at a church in town as well.

Tour the site of plum creek and Laura’s home:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

And take a walk on the banks of plum creek:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about the Minnesota site:

• Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove

Stop 4. De Smet, South Dakota

Books written about this site: By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, The First Four Years

Head to Little House in De Smet on Google Earth

After suffering disappointments in both Minnesota and Iowa, where the Ingalls lived for a short time, the family decided to move further west so Pa could work for the railroad as it expanded through South Dakota. This ended up being their final move until Laura, Mary, Carrie, and Grace left home as adults.

De Smet is the site of the Long Winter, the site of Laura’s courtship with Almanzo Wilder, and the start of their married life together.

Tour the Little Town on the Prairie:

( Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Stop 5. Malone, New York

Books written about this site: Farmer Boy

Head to Almanzo’s childhood home on Google Earth

Almanzo was born on this farm in 1857, and Laura shares his childhood story beautifully in her book Farmer Boy. His family lived here for nearly two decades, until crop failures forced them to move west to Minnesota.

Almanzo’s original home still stands, and has been restored as much as possible to the time period in which the book was written.

Tour Almanzo’s farm:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Stop 6. Mansfield, Missouri

Head to Rocky Ridge Farm on Google Earth

All the Little House books were written from this location!

Laura, Almanzo, and Rose moved here in 1894 looking for a fresh start in farming. They transformed the rocky land they purchased bit by bit and spent nearly 20 years building the white farmhouse that is now a museum honoring the family’s legacy.

Years ago Steve and I had the chance to visit Rocky Ridge Farm on a road trip before having children, and I loved seeing Pa’s fiddle and Laura’s kitchen and parlor.

I’m standing at the site of the “Rock House,” which Rose (Laura/Almanzo’s daughter) built as a gift to her parents down the street from Rocky Ridge Farm. After living there a few years, they said it was “too fancy” for them and that they were homesick for the farm – so they moved back down the street!

Tour the Little House on Rocky Ridge Farm:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about Rocky Ridge farm:

• Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum
• Laura Ingalls Wilder house
• Rocky Ridge Farm – Tripadvisor

I hope you enjoyed this Little House virtual field trip out west with Laura and me – a special thanks to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl for all of the wonderful video clips!

Head here to read all Jamie’s posts re: Little House – including the one after we returned from our trip!

“It has been years since I beat eggs with a fork or cleaned a kerosene lamp. Many things have changed since then, but the truths we learned from our parents and the principles they taught us are always true. They can never change.”~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, reflecting on her famous series

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what you need most!

Written by Jamie Erickson of The Unlikely Homeschool

As a self-professed word nerd, all of my conversations somehow start and end with, “I read in a book once…” Well-written stories have shaped nearly every second of my thirty-nine years, giving me examples of both the personal and the practical of life.

For instance, I discovered how to be a good friend as I sat with Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood. I began looking for possibilities while tub diving with Mary Poppins. And I figured out just how hard it was too hard to squeeze a tube of toothpaste during the quiet rebellion of my pal Ramona Quimby.

I learned all the most important things from my childhood books.

Caroline Ingalls’ Productivity Hack

Now, as an adult, while re-reading all these old favorites to my own kids, I’m rediscovering their simple but timeless truths. 

An adult lens definitely has a way of revealing different angles of each story that I never noticed before.

Recently while revisiting the Little House on the Prairie series, I stumbled upon a productivity hack that has revolutionized my days.

Perhaps you remember the simple schedule that Ma Ingalls implemented each week?

• Wash on Mondays
• Iron on Tuesdays
• Mend on Wednesdays
• Churn on Thursdays
• Clean on Fridays
• Bake on Saturdays
• Rest on Sundays

Caroline Ingalls didn’t use an elaborate spreadsheet or even a paper planner to get her life in order. She didn’t have an app or an assistant, or really any of the conveniences of our modern mothering.

She didn’t need to. She just repeated this no-frills routine each week and in doing so, created an uncomplicated rhythm to her days.

The Never-Ending Tasks of Motherhood

As a homeschooling, work-at-home mom, I have a lot of balls in the air on any given week–lesson plans to make, home-keeping chores to accomplish, volunteer projects to plan, church responsibilities to oversee, and work deadlines to complete.

Each day can easily find me trying to do all of them with excellence and in the process, doing most of them with aggressive mediocrity. I’m only one person, after all. I don’t have enough hands, enough time, enough energy for all of those things.

So many of my tasks seem endless and never-ending. And because of that, it’s very easy to feel defeated even before I’ve begun any of them. An ongoing job that’s never officially done to completion can make me feel like a hamster on a wheel, getting nowhere fast.

But instead of contemplating a forfeit because I can’t check a chore off a list or because the moment I finish one task another one suddenly pops us, I’ve decided to redefine “done.”

That’s what Caroline Ingalls did.

She never once got to permanently cross-out “churn butter” or indefinitely check-off “mend” from her TO DO list because those jobs were on-going. They weighed on her time week-in and week-out. On paper, she was never “done” with anything.

Yet she understood the power of small wins, of daily victories. Instead of trying to do it all half-heartedly, she set aside time each day to do one thing well.

And in doing so, she gained forward motion on everything.

Themed Work Days for the Modern Mom

Obviously, my modern-day hustle looks different to hers. But my system is exactly the same.

It goes without saying that homeschooling takes up a great chunk of the day and is a non-negotiable line-item on the schedule. (You’re a homeschool parent. You understand.) But after school, I usually have around two hours of time to work on other things.

And here’s where I steal a play from Ma’s playbook.

I assign each of my non-homeschooling jobs to a particular day of the week:

• Write on Mondays
• Run errands on Tuesdays
• Podcast on Wednesdays
• Write on Thursdays
• Bake on Fridays
• Clean on Saturdays
• Menu plan and Worship on Sundays

Throughout the week, I keep a running list of small tasks that need to get done under each category.

For instance, on Thursday, if I find a stack of books piled up at the foot of my bed that need to be re-shelved in the home library, I can try to tackle the mess right away or I can add it to my Saturday cleaning list. 

Then on Saturday when it’s time to clean, I consult my list to get immediate direction. I don’t have to waste any time stuck in mental lethargy trying to remember what needs to be cleaned or organized.

I just consult my Saturday list and get going. If I meet the time goal–if I put my head down and do the work, I get to claim the small victory of calling my cleaning complete even if something on my short list never gets accomplished.

Your weekly responsibilities might look quite a bit different from mine. Maybe you work outside the home. Maybe you have lots of family commitments or volunteer responsibilities. No matter.

If you find yourself stuck in overwhelm, discouraged by all the un-checked boxes and loose-ends of life, allow Ma Ingall’s chore list to gently walk you down Mt. Never Rest.

Checking a list doesn’t have to be the end game. Weekly forward motion is the old, but new “done.”

Read more Little House inspired posts on Simple Homeschool!

A note from Jamie (Martin, that is!): If you are drenched in doubt, filled with fear, and need more tips on how to juggle home and school, you need Jamie (Erickson’s) beautiful book, Homeschool Bravely: How to Squash Doubt, Trust God, and Teach Your Child With Confidence.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Ya’ll, I can’t seem to escape Little House. Is this some kind of disorder or syndrome?!

After our year of Little House in 2013/2014, I honestly thought we were done with it.

We’d read the series twice start to finish (once when the kids were 6-8; once when they were 8-10), and even voyaged in crazy road trip fashion to see with our own eyes where the Ingalls lived and worked.

But then Christmas happened–and I read this book aloud. One of the kids, who tends to be my more reluctant reader, got all into it: giggling at the funny parts, engaging with thoughtful questions. This same child? Loves to cook.

So in my “inspire, not require” brain, a plan began to brew:

There’s a lot of good food in Little House. A lot of good life lessons, too. Why not cook our way through Little House in the Big Woods?

So we did. I’m here to invite you to do the same, and make it really easy for you, too!

It goes without saying that if you’re serious about the food in Little House, you need to invest in this cookbook. We’ve had our copy for years, and have learned so much from it! It not only describes recipes, but also includes historical notes, book excerpts, and illustrations.

For this post, though, I’ve also included links to a few online recipes so you can get started right away.

What I did first:

Back in January, I went through each chapter of Little House in the Big Woods and made a list of every food mentioned in its pages, so that afterwards I could create a specific menu plan for our family to follow.

Vinegar Pie?! Let’s just say the family was divided on this one. 

Here’s that list, so that you can come up with your own meal ideas (or just skip to the end of the post for the plan we used):

Chapter 1: Little House in the Big Woods

• venison, fish, sausage, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, onions, pumpkins

Chapter 2: Winter Days and Winter Nights

• butter, bread (made on Saturdays!), cookies

Chapter 3: The Long Rifle – none

Chapter 4: Christmas (yum!)

• salt-rising bread, rye and Injun bread, baked beans, Swedish crackers, vinegar pies, dried apple pies, molasses snow candy, pancake men

Some of our pancake men looked like turtles and other sea creatures, but tasted good!

Chapter 5: Sundays – none

Chapter 6: Two Big Bears – none

Chapter 7: The Sugar Snow

• maple syrup (on bread), cake of maple sugar

Chapter 8: Dance at Grandpa’s

• hasty pudding with syrup, pumpkin pies, dried berry pies, salt-rising bread, pickles, pancakes

Chapter 9: Going to Town

• bread, butter, cheese, hardboiled eggs, cookies, candy hearts

Chapter 10: Summertime

• cookies, honey, eggs, cheesemaking

Chapter 11: Harvest – none

Chapter 12: The Wonderful Machine

• walnuts, hickory nuts, hazelnuts, boiled potatoes, carrots, turnips, stewed pumpkin with bread, baked Hubbard Squash, hulled corn and milk, cabbage and meat, beans, johnnycake, salt-rising bread, pumpkin pies, dried berry pies

Chapter 13: The Deer in the Wood

• bread and butter

What I did next:

I knew it would take us around four weeks to reread the book, so I came up with a meal plan (one meal each week) to highlight the foods we wanted to try.

We’re not big meat eaters, but just check the chapter listings above to add a meat of your choice in if desired!

A 4 Week Meal Plan to Cook Your Way Through Little House in the Big Woods

Week 1:

• Making homemade butter (This recipe uses a stand mixer, but shake it in a jar for a more hands-on experience!)
• Salt-rising bread
• Ma’s Christmas pancake men

Week 2:

• Rye and Injun bread
• Baked beans
• Vinegar pie

Week 3:

Note: The first three bulletpoints below are from Chapter 9: Going to Town. The Ingalls ate this picnic lunch by the shore of Lake Pepin in Wisconsin–and so did we two years ago!

• Bread & butter
• Cheese (No, we didn’t make our own.)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Pumpkin Pie

Week 4:

Johnnycake was one of my favorite Little House food experiments!

• Baked beans
• Johnny Cake
• Boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage

Wanna cook your way through Little House? Download a beautiful printable here to help you do exactly that–enjoy!

What Little House food have you always wanted to try?

Originally published on April 11, 2016

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool

5 states – 2,200 miles – 2 adults – 3 kids – 1 minivan – 9 days – 3 Little House sites…

…and we lived to tell about it!

Since we arrived back from our whirlwind tour of the Midwest a few weeks ago, I’ve been reliving our trip by posting photos on Steady Mom and social media. On one such update a reader asked:

“Won’t you share the specifics of your trip so we can benefit from all your work if we decide to do the same?”

Several other readers also mentioned you might like to check out one or more of the sites some day with your family, so I thought perhaps a post about our experience might help you plan your own Little House site tour.

I’ll go ahead and let you know, though, that I’m pretty sure this is the longest post I’ve ever written anywhere. With so many cool photos to share, and so many tips to include, I wanted to be thorough and include as much information for you as possible.

Here we go – enjoy!

1. Site 1: Pepin, Wisconsin and the Little House in the Big Woods

We made Pepin our first stop. I had low expectations for it since I had read there wasn’t too much to see there. Maybe because I wasn’t expecting much, it ended up being one of my favorite sites of all!

What to see:

– Make sure you visit Lake Pepin, as this is where Laura and her family picnicked and features prominently in Little House in the Big Woods.

– Then take a drive north from Pepin on County Road CC 7 miles to the site of the Ingalls’ cabin. A replica cabin of the same size has been built there. (It has a picnic table inside so if there’s nobody there you could eat inside!)

There’s mostly farmland all around now (as opposed to the Big Woods), but I loved the lack of a touristy feel and the privacy here. The kids ran around and played inside and out without bothering anyone.

Where to eat:

– As mentioned before, there is a picnic table in the cabin as well as more on the grounds themselves.

– We chose to eat lunch by the shores of Lake Pepin and to recreate the picnic that the Ingalls family ate there in Chapter 9 (Going to Town) of Little House in the Big Woods: bread, butter, cheese, hardboiled eggs, and cookies.

There were no picnic tables by the lake though, so the kids sat on a bench while Steve and I stood. Then they collected pebbles by the shore like Laura and Mary did in the book.

– We didn’t eat there, but another option I heard good things about is the Harbor View Cafe in Pepin.

Where to stay:

Pepin has a few bed and breakfasts available, but we stayed in La Crosse and then drove up the following morning (about 1.5 hours north).

La Crosse has a nice little downtown area by the river and several chain hotel options. Pepin also has the Lake Pepin Campground.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Days:

We avoided the Little House pageants and festivals during our trip, preferring a less crowded experience.

But if coming to visit at a busier time appeals to you, keep in mind that each September Pepin hosts a weekend of Laura Days.

Site 2: Walnut Grove, Minnesota and the Banks of Plum Creek

Laura describes her family’s time in Walnut Grove in the book On the Banks of Plum Creek.

In this town they lived in a dugout, Pa built their first house with store-bought boards (on credit, sadly!), and they struggled to survive after grasshoppers destroyed the crops.

What to see:

– Sod House on the Prairie: This is one of those sites you see advertised on huge billboards on the side of a country road, and have no idea what to expect! But it had great reviews on TripAdvisor, so we decided to check it out.

25 years ago a farming couple decided to build a sod house on their property so visitors could experience what these common prairie homes would have been like. They made two versions: one typical of slightly wealthier families and one that a poorer family would have created.

You put your entrance fee ($5/person) in a box on their farmhouse porch and then just make yourselves at home!

We were the only ones there and had a great time – they had clothes and bonnets to try on, which made it interactive for the kids (And me, too! ).

This site is in Sanborn, Minnesota which is actually a few miles east of Walnut Grove.

– Plum Creek: I preferred the sites that are a little less “done up” and touristy, a little more subtle.

Plum Creek was perfect in this regard–located on a private farm (that has opened the site for a small fee of $5 per car), you drive in, park and then explore for yourself.

The site of the Ingalls family’s dugout is marked and you can explore and wade in the creek itself  (Though Jonathan and I were the only ones doing so at the time–maybe others were afraid of crabs and bloodsuckers?!)

– Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum: The museum in Walnut Grove focuses mostly on life at the time the Ingalls lived–with a dozen or so exhibits that showcase the history of the pioneers.

They also have a room dedicated to the TV show, which I personally loved–including the very fireplace mantle that was used in the show!

Current admission costs: 13 & over – $6; Ages 6-12 – $3; 5 and under – Free

– Pa’s Bell: Take a few extra moments during your visit to drive by the English Lutheran Church at 450 Wiggins Street, where the very bell that Pa donated his boot money for still rings.

Close by at Fourth and Washington, you can also see the location where Laura and Mary went to school with Nellie Oleson for the first time, which gives you a good idea just how far they had to walk from the dugout site to learn each day.

Where to eat:

– Nellie’s cafe: It’s pretty much the only restaurant in town! And fun, too. They are very used to tourists as well, so we didn’t feel the least bit out of place.

The wall is full of autographed photos from the TV show–mainly Nellie, of course. And the menu is your typical diner fare of burgers and fries, fried chicken, etc.

– Plum Creek: Plum Creek has a few picnic tables, so you could bring your own food there as well.

Where to stay:

– Mankato: Mankato is the nearest city with a selection of hotels available – we stayed at the Holiday Day Inn Express and had a nice, quiet night there.

– Plum Creek Park: In June, July, and August you can camp in Walnut Grove close to Lake Laura on 205 acres.

Summer Pageants, Walnut Grove:

Each July Walnut Grove presents a pageant about Laura’s life.  They also have regular reunions each summer from cast members of the TV show.

Site 3: De Smet, South Dakota – The Little Town on the Prairie

De Smet is the site of the majority of Laura’s life, and most of her books take place here: By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.

If you head here for a visit, be prepared to stay awhile!

What to see:

– Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes: I recommend starting with this tour, which is led by a tour guide and takes about an hour and a half. FYI: It’s not really hands-on or for young children, so keep that in mind!

Across the street from where the tour begins is a small playground, which might be a good place for one parent with littles to hang out while the other takes older children on the tour.

On this tour you’ll see The Surveyor’s House where the Ingalls lived by Silver Lake, the actual restored school Laura and Carrie attended (& were sent home from on that fateful day of seat-rocking from Little Town on the Prairie!), a replica of the Brewster School where Laura first taught, and Ma and Pa’s house on 3rd street (not featured in any books but where they lived the majority of their lives.)

Current admission costs: Adults $12; Children $6; Children under 5 – Free

– Main Street: Walking down Main Street in De Smet is like stepping back into the 1800’s.

The two blocks look like your typical small town of stores and businesses, but each storefront window has a description of what building or business existed there during Laura’s time–and anything interesting or memorable that happened at that spot.

It was especially exciting to see The Loftus Store (still open!), the site of Almanzo’s feed store, and the location where the Ingalls survived the Long Winter.

When you tour the historic homes, they give you a town map to help you locate other sites you may want to see on your own.

– De Smet Cemetery: Pa, Ma, Mary, Carrie, Grace, and Laura and Almanzo’s infant son who died shortly after birth are all buried here. (Laura and Almanzo are buried in Mansfield, Missouri.)

I found it moving to walk among the headstones and remember that these were just ordinary individuals being faithful in their ordinary lives–never knowing or imagining that one day they would inspire the world.

For me, wandering around in the quiet grass here–away from any crowds or tours–was a highlight of our time in De Smet.

– Ingalls Homestead: This is the original site of the land the Ingalls worked and lived on for several years (before moving back to town.)

The homestead has been turned into an attraction in recent years where you can go and have a bit of an Ingalls “experience.” This was definitely the most touristy of the sites we visited, but still very well done.

It features plenty of hands-on activities, making it a perfect choice for young children. 

My favorite moments there were seeing the towering cottonwood trees that Pa planted over a century ago, and walking through a replica on the actual location of the Ingalls family’s claim shanty. (This is after Pa made final additions to it.)

We also went on a covered wagon ride, and the kids each had the chance to hold the reins and drive the horses!

Current admission costs: $10 each for ages 5 and over; 4 and under – Free

Where to eat:

DeSmet has a few restaurants options: A Dairy Queen/Subway (where we ate), the Oxbow Restaurant (a local choice), and there are picnic tables at the Ingalls Homestead if you want to take your own food.

Where to stay:

– Ingalls Homestead Covered Wagon: You can camp at the Ingalls Homestead during your stay if you’d like to! Make reservations ahead of time for one of their covered wagons (see photo below) to stay in overnight.

This might be a good way to experience the homestead in the quiet hours of night and early morning, before it opens for tours. We didn’t stay there, as we head a long drive ahead of us to Keystone, but I’ve heard from scores of others who raved about doing so.

– Hotels/Bed & Breakfasts: De Smet has a couple of small motels as well as two bed and breakfasts – The Prairie House Manor Bed and Breakfast is just a few houses down from Pa and Ma’s house in town.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant, De Smet:

Each summer in July De Smet puts on a pageant from one of Laura’s books.

Other Little House sites:

The three sites above are the ones we visited during our week away, but there are others to choose from, too!

Check out these links to plan a trip close to your neck of the woods.

Keystone, South Dakota:

Carrie Ingalls lived here for much of her adult life.

Keystone is, of course, also the home of Mt. Rushmore (Carrie’s husband actually named the spot after a visiting New York lawyer) and not too far away is Badlands National Park–both of which were incredible to see!

Laura visited Keystone to see her sister in 1939 (once she and Almanzo had a car) and they went to both Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands.

Independence, Kansas:

Close to Independence you can find a replica cabin at the site of where the Ingalls spent their year in Indian Territory.

Mansfield, Missouri:

Site of Laura and Almanzo’s Rocky Ridge farm — where they lived as adults. Steve and I visited years ago and it’s worth a tour (even if only to see Pa’s fiddle!!)

Burr Oak, Iowa:

Here the Ingalls lived and worked in a hotel for a year. It isn’t mentioned in any of her books, but the Master’s Hotel has been renovated and is open for guided tours.

Vinton, Iowa:

The College for the Blind that Mary attended still exists! There’s no tour available, but we drove by it toward the end of our tour.

The old Main building still looks the way it did when Mary attended.

Malone, New York:

Near Malone Almanzo Wilder grew up on this working farm, now open for tours.

If you do plan a trip to one or more of the sites, also pick up a copy of William Anderson’s The Little House Guidebook.

Not only is it helpful to have with you as you travel around, but the color photographs are gorgeous and valuable for any serious Little House fan!

“When the fiddle had stopped singing Laura called out softly, “What are days of auld lang syne, Pa?”

“They are the days of a long time ago, Laura,” Pa said. “Go to sleep, now.”

But Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa’s fiddle softly playing and to the lonely sound of the wind in the Big Woods,…She was glad that the cozy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.”

~ Little House in the Big Woods

This post contains affiliate links.



Photos from Little House in the Big Woods of Pepin, Wisconsin! With more to come after the laundry is washed and suitcases unpacked!

• On to-do lists, weeding and white-space {And why I quit planting corn} :: From contributor Kari Patterson of Sacred Mundane
• Laura Ingalls Wilder – The Podcast :: Stuff You Missed in History Class
• Free Little House on the Prairie lapbooks :: Marine Corps Nomads
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Obituary :: Pinterest
• Little House on the Prairie Unit Study :: Living Montessori Now

My recommendations this week:

Wow, this Little House on the Prairie 4 part miniseries by Disney is beautiful to watch!

Sticks much closer to the script of the books than the TV show and it does not sugarcoat the hardships of pioneer living (including the tremendous tension between Indians and settlers – I did fast forward a couple of scenes, fyi). I’d highly recommend this for family viewing with your kids ages 9 and up.

Out of all the Little House themed books we’ve read this year, THIS is one of the few we actually packed along our journey to the sites.

Beautiful photographs and history of the people and places Laura loved (and some she hated, ahem, Nellie). It’s one to add to your shelf if you have Little House fans at home!

If you have studied the pioneers with your family, you must take a peek at A Pioneer Sampler – it’s one of our newest discoveries and favorites in our home library!

The author cleverly blends historical fiction about a pioneer family in the 1840s with nonfiction about some of the most common chores and activities: maple sugaring, house building, sheep shearing, etc. Make sure to check it out for your 8-12 year-olds.

Featured sponsors this week:

If your kids love Lego, check out this way to try out more sets without paying for them – Pley.com is a Lego rental service (Think of it like Netflix for Lego!).

Rent a set for a month, send it back in a prepaid box, and have another show up at your doorstep.

Take school outside this summer:

Home Science Tools offers plenty of supplies and projects to help you boost summer learning (insect collecting, owl pellet dissection, microscopes, and tons more)  — and right now you can get an extra 10% off!

Blessings on you and yours…

“It is a good idea sometimes to think of the importance and dignity of our every-day duties. It keeps them from being so tiresome; besides, others are apt take us at our own valuation.”
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

We are currently inhaling all things Little House, in preparation for our upcoming site tour this summer. Every day we learn something new about Laura and the Ingalls family, and for this homeschooling mama it’s a dream come true.

In a few months our family will be visiting three Little House sites: Pepin, Wisconsin; Walnut Grove, Minnesota; and De Smet, South Dakota. If you want to take a sneak peek and visit them virtually–as well as all the other Little House sites, make sure you check out the virtual field trip I created earlier this year.

Right now we’re rereading all of the books–one each month–and creating our own unit study to go along with them. This has sent me on a search for the best books, sites, and resources to help us learn more, and I thought I’d share my discoveries with you.

If you’re looking to get the most out of Little House, here are the resources we’ve been using:

The Little House Guidebook

This book contains beautiful colored photographs from each of the Little House sites. Designed for those who plan to visit, it includes information about the history of the site, how to find it, and what to do at each spot.

Having read this title myself, I think anyone who loves the idea of touring these locations would enjoy it–whether or not you actually make the trip. Pair this with my virtual field trip and you’ll feel like you just stepped into the prairie.

The Prairie Primer

I first heard of this unit study curriculum years ago and loved the idea behind it. It’s a nine month unit study based on the Little House series. This year I bought a used copy.

The Prairie Primer includes ideas and potential assignments/projects that connect many different subjects to Little House–including science, writing, and history–basically everything but math and spelling/grammar.

My kids have enjoyed the discussion questions for each chapter, but we haven’t used the rest as much as I anticipated.

Like many unit studies, it suits a certain type of person/family well–one who enjoys preparing activities and pulling together different threads. The Primer comes from a conservative Christian perspective, so keep that in mind as you determine if it’s a good fit for you and yours.

My idea of a good unit study is to read books, then read more books, then discuss, then watch some YouTube clips, then bake something =), but I know many folks who rave about this resource.

We Love the Prairie Primer

This blog was created a few years ago by a mom who was following the Prairie Primer curriculum with her kids.

She embedded many YouTube clips that go along with the various chapters of the books – and we’ve enjoyed watching some of them. It’s saved me the work of finding appropriate clips myself–she also includes crafts and other ideas.

Little Passports USA edition

I’ve been raving this year about our Little Passports subscription–we’ve had fun learning about different countries around the world through these monthly packages delivered to our door. And when it comes to our upcoming Little House trip, our USA edition of Little Passports has been an excellent resource to add on.

Each month we receive a packet that highlights two different states–it just so happened that the first one featured Wisconsin–while we were reading Little House in the Big Woods! That gave us plenty of good direction for extra study as we learned about the state.

The Little House Cookbook

If you love both Little House and cooking/baking, this book is a must-have! We’ve had it since the first time we read the series a few years ago, but this year we have used it more than ever.

Not only does it have recipes for almost every dish mentioned by Laura, it also includes them in the style and manner that they most likely would have been prepared during her time. We’ve made butter, pumpkin pie, hasty pudding, and more, and have learned a lot along the way.

Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?

This book was just published at the end of 2013, and I bought a copy a few weeks ago. It’s a short overview of Laura’s life–with interesting text boxes that highlight historical information and facts that coincide with the time period in which she lived.

We read a few pages each day and it adds another dimension to our study of her life. As a side note, all three of my kids like the whole “Who Was” series–look for these titles at your library.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Country

I was on the fence about buying this book–did we really need another book about Laura’s life? The answer – yes!

This oversize paperback goes into detail about “the people and places in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and books” and features gorgeous color photographs of the landscapes as well as photographs and momentos of the Ingalls/Wilder family through the years.

Think of it a bit like a Laura scrapbook–a must-have for serious Laura fans and students.

Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder

If you want to find out more about Laura’s development as a writer and the history behind the Little House series, make sure you check out this hour-long documentary about her life and work.

It introduces fascinating details about the working relationship with her daughter Rose, who at the time was a more famous writer than Laura. Plus it’s all filmed on location in the beautiful spots Laura called home throughout her life, and narrated by Dean Butler (who played Almanzo in the TV show)!

Little House Paper Dolls

I don’t know if I can genuinely consider paper dolls a part of our unit study, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to mention these. In Little House in the Big Woods, Laura describes how Ma made paper dolls for her and Mary to play with. We gave this set to Trishna (age 10) for Christmas and she loves them.

The dolls actually stand up and have different clothes, furniture, and a fold up indoor/outdoor cabin as a backdrop. Adorable!

And if you’re the crafty type, take a peek at the Little House Crafts Book for ideas to go along with your readings. (I can’t give a personal recommendation on this one, since I am decidedly not the crafty type–LOL!)

It’s impossible not to feel inspired in our homeschool these days. Our days are far from perfect, mind you, but I love what we’re studying so much–and enthusiasm is contagious.

I hope this list points other Little House fans in the direction of inspiration and love of learning as well–enjoy!

“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful.

They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness — just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.”
~ Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder – Volume One: On Wisdom and Virtues

After several months, my three kids and I recently finished reading all nine books of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Reading these to my own kids was like a dream come true.

I fell in love with Laura and her life as a young girl myself and have read through the whole series three or four times. But experiencing them as an adult with children of my own gave me a new perspective  than I had before.

Certain parts made me laugh, some parts made me cry, a few parts shocked me, and I took away a few lessons to remember as well.

Lessons learned from Little House

1. Self-reliance and industry are vital to family life.

We made apple turnovers, like Almanzo took to school, after finishing the book Farmer Boy

Pa might hunt alone all day in the bitter cold, in the Big Woods covered with snow, and come home at night with nothing for Ma and Mary and Laura to eat. So as much food as possible must be stored away in the little house before winter came.
~ Little House in the Big Woods, Chapter 1

The survival aspect of Little House draws many of us into the Ingalls’ life story. It’s so far removed from our own lifestyles that it sounds like an adventure.

Our generation has been given a gift–the gift of leisure–that pioneers didn’t have. How are we investing that leisure time–giving it to hours in front of the television or computer–or dedicating it to our families, our education, and our life mission?

Freedom and purpose emerge through self-reliance and industry. Though there are certain things I hope never to do–like cook a pig’s head, for example–there are other skills I want to do myself and teach my children.

As homeschoolers, we have time to invest into teaching our kids these skills. Laura would be proud.

2. Atmosphere matters.

No that’s not Laura’s cabin, but actually the 200-year-old farmhouse my family currently lives in. Photo by Desirea Rodgers

“What will Pa and Ma say?” Carrie quavered.
“We’ll know when they say it,” said Laura. “They won’t blame you, this isn’t your fault. It’s my fault because I rocked that seat so hard. I’m glad of it!” she added. “I’d do it again!” Carrie did not care whose fault it was. There is no comfort anywhere for anyone who dreads to go home.
~ Little Town on the Prairie, Sent Home from School

I was struck by Carrie’s insight in this passage: “There is no comfort anywhere for anyone who dreads to go home.” How true.

Laura and her family lived through severe ups and downs, yet an atmosphere of togetherness generally characterized her home–patience, family unity, and contentment.

As homeschooling families, we find a lesson in this–the atmosphere we create with our words, our tones, our smiles (or lack thereof) influences our family in profound ways.

3. A little (education) goes a long way.

Photo by Desirea Rodgers

Laura almost wailed, “Oh, Ma! How can I ever teach school and help send Mary to college? How can I ever amount to anything when I can get only one day of school at a time?”
“Now, Laura,” Ma said kindly. “You must not be so easily discouraged. We will hurry and get the work done, then you can study. There is enough figuring in your arithmetic to keep you busy for a good many days, and you can do as much of it as you want to. Nothing keeps you from learning.”
~ The Long Winter, No Trains

Ma dreamed that her children would receive formal schooling. But for years and years, it didn’t happen.

Laura and Mary spent most of their childhood working with the family and playing on the prairie. In reality, they were homeschooled for most of their young lives.

When they finally went to school for a couple of years, they soared to the top of their class. Not only that, both girls demonstrated a passion for self-education, spending hours at home learning by lamplight.

Mary continued her studies, even after she became blind. Laura continued studying even after she became a teacher herself.

4. Keep calm and carry on.

Photo by Desirea Rodgers

Ma sighed gently and said, “A whole year gone, Charles.” But Pa answered, cheerfully: “What’s a year amount to? We have all the time there is.”
~ Little House on the Prairie, Soldiers

The Ingalls family endured severe setbacks–loss of homesteads, debt, sickness, and death. But they continuously demonstrated a calm and grateful spirit, even in the face of tragedy.

I’m fascinated by their example, for as I write in my e-book Mindset for Moms, our reaction to life ultimately influences our circumstances themselves. Our perspectives matter.

Two of Ma’s upbeat sayings have become phrases around our home as well: “All’s well that ends well,” and “There’s no great loss without some small gain.”

5. There’s always room for improvement.

Rocky Ridge Farm, where Laura and Almanzo lived in Missouri and where Laura wrote her books

“Why don’t you like Indians, Ma?” Laura asked.
“I just don’t like them, and don’t lick your fingers, Laura,” said Ma.
“This is Indian country, isn’t it?” Laura said. “What did we come to their country for, if you don’t like them?”
Ma said she didn’t know whether this was Indian country or not. She didn’t know where the Kansas line was. But whether or no, the Indians would not be here long.
~ Little House on the Prairie, Prairie Day

Hmmm. As an adult, I had a different reaction to some of these passages than I remember noticing as a child. I found myself editing a lot as I read-aloud. Some passages I’m surprised haven’t been removed or altered in subsequent printings.

Other parts I skipped touched on the harshness pioneers truthfully experienced, but that I wasn’t yet comfortable sharing with my kids. “Mommy, what’s a massacre?” wasn’t a question I wanted to tackle just yet.

But real life is like that, isn’t it? Imperfect, like we all are, reflecting both the highs and the lows of the cultures we’re raised in.

Several years ago, when Steve and I were moving cross-country, we chose to drive through Missouri so I could visit Laura and Almanzo’s home where she spent the majority of her life, and where she wrote her stories. (Did you know she didn’t even begin writing until the age of 65?!)

I stared in awe at Pa’s fiddle, sat on Laura’s porch, and stood by her grave as well. Like thousands of other Americans, I remain thankful for Laura’s words that have allowed this historical period to come to life for so many readers.

These stories capture our imaginations because they represent what we all desperately want: courage to keep trying in the face of resistance, wonder and desire to have an adventure, and the hope to believe that something better is sure to be just around the corner.

Little House Resources:

• The Complete Little House 9-book set
• The Little House Cookbook
• The Little House Guidebook
• My Little House Crafts Book
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Timeline

Have you read the Little House books to your children? What lessons stuck out to you?