Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books are a favorite in our household. We've read through the first 5 books together several times over the last few years. I usually try to come up with some hands on learning activities to go along with our read alouds. I feel like it helps my kids get more out of our reading.
Here are some of the activities we've tried while reading Little House on the Prairie:
Make A Log House:
After reading the chapters about Pa building the house, look at some pictures of log homes (Google Images is great for this). Then try making your own "log" house out of Lincoln Logs, popsicle sticks, or even pretzels. We used popsicle sticks.
Take A Virtual Tour:
While the actual house that Pa built on the Kansas prairie no longer stands, there is a replica of the one room house at the site of the Ingalls family homestead. You can take a short virtual tour here: The Real Little House on the Prairie.
Prairie Wildflower Activity
Laura describes the wildflowers of the prairie in various passages throughout the book. Read a few of these passages and pick a flower or two to research.
The wildflowers we chose to study were Larkspur and Goldenrod. We looked at pictures of them on Google Images and read a little about each one. Then we pulled out the paint and paper and tried painting each one.
I also found this great website that gives some information about all the wildflowers described in the Little House books: Wildflowers of the "Little House" Books from Daves Garden.
Learn About Prairie Wildlife:
The Great Plains of North America are one of only four remaining temperate grasslands in the world. They are home to many interesting animals including coyotes, prairie dogs, pheasants, rabbits, foxes, and more. Spend a day or two learning about temperate grasslands and the wildlife that live there. Here are a few resources to get you started:
-Mammals of the Shortgrass Prairie
-Animals of the Northern Great Plains
-Wildlife of the Great Plains- Video
Make A Log House:
After reading the chapters about Pa building the house, look at some pictures of log homes (Google Images is great for this). Then try making your own "log" house out of Lincoln Logs, popsicle sticks, or even pretzels. We used popsicle sticks.
Take A Virtual Tour:
While the actual house that Pa built on the Kansas prairie no longer stands, there is a replica of the one room house at the site of the Ingalls family homestead. You can take a short virtual tour here: The Real Little House on the Prairie.
Prairie Wildflower Activity
Laura describes the wildflowers of the prairie in various passages throughout the book. Read a few of these passages and pick a flower or two to research.
The wildflowers we chose to study were Larkspur and Goldenrod. We looked at pictures of them on Google Images and read a little about each one. Then we pulled out the paint and paper and tried painting each one.
Learn About Prairie Wildlife:
The Great Plains of North America are one of only four remaining temperate grasslands in the world. They are home to many interesting animals including coyotes, prairie dogs, pheasants, rabbits, foxes, and more. Spend a day or two learning about temperate grasslands and the wildlife that live there. Here are a few resources to get you started:
-Mammals of the Shortgrass Prairie
-Animals of the Northern Great Plains
-Wildlife of the Great Plains- Video
-Virtual Grassland Biome- from ASU. This one is really cool! Explore the grasslands of North America virtually.
Learn About The Osage:
The land that Laura's family settled on in Little House on the Prairie, was not actually open for settlement. It belonged to the Osage Nation. The Osage are a Native American tribe that developed along the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.
Spend some time learning about the Osage and use this as an opportunity to have a family discussion about westward expansion and the conflicts between white settlers and Native Americans.
The Osage Nation has some information about their cultural history on their site: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/historic-preservation/osage-cultural-history
If you enjoyed this post, check out:
-9 Activities Inspired By On the Banks of Plum Creek
-8 Activities Inspired By Farmer Boy
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Learn About The Osage:
The land that Laura's family settled on in Little House on the Prairie, was not actually open for settlement. It belonged to the Osage Nation. The Osage are a Native American tribe that developed along the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.
Spend some time learning about the Osage and use this as an opportunity to have a family discussion about westward expansion and the conflicts between white settlers and Native Americans.
The Osage Nation has some information about their cultural history on their site: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/historic-preservation/osage-cultural-history
If you enjoyed this post, check out:
-9 Activities Inspired By On the Banks of Plum Creek
-8 Activities Inspired By Farmer Boy
Follow me on
I know this blog post is a couple of years old but I really appreciate the links to the Osage Nation. So important to remember and honor them!
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