Adding Up Homeschool: Little House on the Prairie

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Recently I started reading the Little House on the Prairie series with my kids. They are loving it! As we are reading the series I can't help but wonder how on earth I missed reading this as a kid. I loved to watch the TV series and probably watched every episode, but I never read the books. I loved to read, so that wasn't why I didn't read them. I think it's more I didn't have the guidance of choosing good literature. I read a lot of fluffy stuff like The Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High. Of course I didn't see either of those choices as fluffy...I attended school at Valley High...Not the same one as in the book but it was still Valley High so I felt like I had a connection to the main characters. Add to it, I was a twin, so I loved to read about the twins in Sweet Valley High. I wanted to know what it was like being a twin past the age of 8 as my twin died in an accident at 8, so I never got to experience going to high school with him. While I was focused on reading fluffy books, I missed out on reading great classics like Little House on the Prairie.

The Little House the Prairie book series is written by Laura Ingalls Wilder based on her childhood memories. The series is sure to delight boys and girls alike.

Book Summary as found on Amazon:

"The book that started it all! Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's treasured Little House series, which was based on her life growing up as an American pioneer. This edition features Garth Williams' interior art in vibrant full color.

Told from four-year-old Laura's point of view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack.

Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. And every night they are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa's fiddle sending Laura and her sisters off to sleep.

And so begins Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier history and a heartwarming, unforgettable story."

There is so much to learn from reading the Little House in the Big Woods. The Ingalls family had to work for all of their food, they had to be self reliant. Pa depended on his gun to provide food for his family and would often go out hunting for game. They didn't have the convenience to run down to the store and pick up groceries. Laura tells of her ma making cheese. This lead to a science lesson with my children, they wanted to learn how to make cheese. So we ended up researching cheese making, once they found out how long it takes to age cheese my kids decided they would rather get it from the store instead of putting in the work and time to make it.

2nd Book in the Series: Little House on the Prairie

Amazon Book Summary:

"Although the Little House stories are traditionally seen as "girl" books, boys might be happily surprised if they take another peek at their sisters' shelves. Little House in the Big Woods--the first book of the series and Laura Ingalls Wilder's first children's book--is full of the thrills, chills, and spills typically associated with "boy" books. Any boy or girl who has fantasized about running off to live in the woods will find ample information in these pages to manage a Wisconsin snowstorm, a panther attack, or a wild sled ride with a pig as an uninvited guest. Every chapter divulges fascinatingly intricate, yet easy-to-read, details about pioneer life in the Midwest in the late 1800s, from bear-meat curing to maple-tree sapping to homemade bullet making. Wilder's autobiographical tales ring with truth and excitement. Readers will receive a perfectly painless history lesson, and in fact will clamor for more. Beloved illustrator Garth Williams spent years researching young Laura's pioneering family. His soft-line illustrations bring to life the full, simple days and nights in the family's log cabin. No one can read just one Little House book! (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter Special Edition Large Print Format to read aloud"

While reading the Little house books, I was able to have some good discussions with my children about pioneer life and how different it was from what we know today. My kids decided they are glad that we have running water and don't have to use an outhouse or a bucket of water to wash dishes in. We also don't have to share a bedroom with the whole family. Reading about Laura's meek Christmas made my kids appreciate the gifts that they get every year.

Next up for my family is reading the Farmer Boy which is the life of Almanzo Wilder who later become Laura's husband.

In all there are 9 books in the Little House Series. I am excited to read all of the adventures of the Laura with my family. Below I have included a few resources to for the Little House on the Prairie. Hopefully you find something there that is helpful for your family reading of Little House on the Prairie.