Little Town on the Prairie {Prairie Primer}


The life of Laura and her family continue in Little Town on the Prairie. The story begins just after The Long Winter ends. The days are warm and bright, and it is wonderful to be on the claim again. 

Ellen the cow has a calf. Laura's job is to milk Ellen and teach the calf to drink from a pan. The garden is growing, the corn in planted, and Pa builds the missing half of the claim shanty. Laura spends all her time outdoors working and helping Pa. When Ma suggests they kill two birds with one stone and combine spring cleaning with moving, my heart was all a flutter.  

They get a new kitten and a brood of chicks. The town is growing as more people from the East arrive. Laura takes her first job in town and earns $9.00 to help send Mary to college, who leaves that fall. The family moves back to town for the winter, and life in town for Laura becomes a gaiety with Friday night literaries, socials, a birthday party, a school exhibition, and a revival. And we have an unexpected surprise at the end! 

We didn't do the Generals or Group Activities this unit. We didn't do the Historical Reviews, the Presidential Timeline, nor read any biographies. We did read the book, answer the discussion questions, had many discussions, gathered information on various topics, ate some special meals, read several go along books, and finished Little Town on the Prairie in 2 weeks!

My learners:
  • did a review of American History from the writing of the Constitution to 1882
  • learned what sheep sorrel is
  • reviewed why calves are bottle fed today
  • started getting raw milk delivery again
  • learned how to care for chickens
  • made lemonade

  • ate lettuce leaves with apple cider vinegar and sugar like the Ingalls did


  • made a chicken pot pie (for our blackbird pie!)

We made an easy chicken pot pie for our Little Town on the Prairie Unit. (It's easy because it uses mashed potatoes!)

What I use to make this:
  • chicken breast or chicken thighs
  • a bag of organic frozen veggie mix (carrots, peas, green beans and corn)
  • chicken cream sauce or gravy
  • mashed potatoes 

To make, salt and cook the chicken in a skillet and remove from pan. Leave the bits of crispy bits in the skillet and use butter and flour to make a roux for a cream sauce.

I use a ratio of 1 T butter, 1 T flour for the roux to 1 cup of chicken broth, stock, or milk, depending on how much I am making. If using milk, add 1 tsp. of Better Bouillon chicken base for a cream of chicken soup.

To make a roux, you melt the butter and whisk the flour into the butter. Once the two become one, add the broth, stock or milk and cook until it thickens.

Season with salt and pepper and add the frozen veggies and chicken. Pour into a casserole dish and top with homestyle mashed potatoes. Yes, peeling, boiling, and mashing potatoes with butter and cream is easier than making a pie crust, haha!

This can be refrigerated for the next day (mine is pictured unbaked) or baked right away. Top with shredded cheese if desired, and bake at 350 until bubbly.

  • curled Eliana's bangs into a "lunatic fringe" like Ma called Laura's.  

which mortified her, so I combed them out a bit,


 but she still decided she will grow her bangs out again, haha. I think it was the photo of Laura with her short curled "lunatic fringe" in Laura Ingalls Wilder Country that did it.


  • made an autograph album 

  • had white cake with orange flowers and noticed the orange slices are more sour when eaten with the sweet cake (which helped balance the sweetness of the cake!)

  • studied electricity and how currents work
  • attended a revival. We actually thought we were attending a seminar on internet safety, but it turned out to be a "wake up" revival aimed at teenagers, and my kids, who are used to quiet sermons like Laura, were probably just as shocked as Laura was!
  • diagramed the sentence Laura diagramed to pass her examinations that earned her a teacher certificate (though, even I could not parse as well as she did!).
  • read about the Little Town on the Prairie in World of Little House and Laura Ingalls Wilder Country. 

The kids squealed when Almanzo walked Laura home every night from the revival and are begging me to start These Happy Golden Years!

Until next time...

9 comments

  1. I picked to do a book study of the Little House books about the same time you started. I was super glad to see your examples. Thanks. Right now I am starting to think- What will we study next? Just wondered if you are thinking about another book study when you finish this one. I love how many resources there are for the Little House books and I would like to find another series like that.

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  2. I have been considering Beautiful Feet's Geography using the Holling C. Hollings books and IEW's themed writing or a world geography/culture study tying in literature from around the world using Winter Promise's Children Around the World and/or books from Sonlight Core F Eastern Hemispheres. Both programs are literature based, but I haven't decided yet.

    I also have my eye on Where the Brook and the River Meet, which is also by Cadron Creek and based on the Anne of Green Gables series, but for high school level.

    i definitely want something all planned out for me! :) Have you considered anything?

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  3. We loved doing that series and many activities in the Prairie Primer. My children still comment on that being one of their favorite homeschool years.
    Blessings, Dawn

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  4. I love reading your posts about your Little House studies and adventures! We have read several of the books aloud and listened to all of them on audio cd as well (they are a favorite when we are driving). I was wondering - what is the Prairie Primer pace? Is it a book a month, a book in 2 weeks? I'm just curious.

    We loved the world geography and cultures year we did! So fun.

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  5. Dawn, I hope this year will be one of my children's favorites too. ♥

    Tristan, thank you! The Prairie Primer pace is one book every 4 weeks, so about a book a month (which works out to be about 2 chapters a day). That's great that you have read and/or listened to them - I never did as a kid, but wished I would have with my older boys.

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  6. About 2 chapters a day, but only 4 days a week, that is. :)

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  7. I know that this is a lot to pull together, but you always make it so easy and fun! We are gearing up for a quiet winter with lots of books. My girls have all loved the Little House series. We actually listened to them on audio on our many long road trips :) A hot chicken pot pie sounds really good right now, too.

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  8. We are two months behind you and I love it because you have such great ideas. Just watched the Braille movie tonight. Cried through parts of it. I am reading ahead in your blog to be prepared for the future months. Loving PP.

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  9. I hope I'm not a disappointment towards the end. :) Due to some health issues, I have kept the next couple books really simple. We've had many wonderful discussions, lots of Bible study, and reading of biographies, and more discussion, but not many hands on projects as I would have liked.

    I'm glad you liked the Braille movie! So happy to hear you are loving PP, too!

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