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Just a ‘Little’ Curriculum
My husband and I both grew up hearing about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her books The Little House on the Prairie. As a child, I read the books but as an adult, I had forgotten most of what happens in the books. One night, I was flipping through movies and tv shows, trying to find something new to show our children. I came across the series and decided to give it a try. I had never seen the tv series and my husband had only seen a few bits and pieces of it, here and there growing up. We were instantly hooked. It became our nightly show to watch with our kids. We were amazed at how many wonderful life lessons that were taught in each episode and how our lives today still connected with theirs back then. How our family faced many of the same sort of hardships their family did. The books and tv show are filled with knowledge, lessons, history and so much more.
We became huge fans of the stories, reading them to our children each night, watching the show and bringing many of the lessons and habits they were taught into our teachings.
I was a preschool teacher for many years and created my own curriculum for my classroom, advancing it once I began homeschooling my own kids and bending it to fit my younger children as well as my oldest. I absolutely love creating curriculum and had so much fun creating my first one. While I was researching supplemental curriculums to add onto my homeschooling one, I tried looking for one based on Little House. I found a few suggestions but nothing much. The idea struck me to make my own based off of the books and show. I immediately set to work.
Whether you are looking for a supplemental curriculum or simply doing a unit on Laura Ingalls Wilder and her adventures, give this curriculum a try and see what you think.
Please feel free to message me with suggestions or questions. I would love to hear what you think.
More curriculum to come…
Below, you will find what I have created thus far with links to the printables I have designed and more.
What is a supplemental curriculum?
It is basically a curriculum you add on to your main curriculum. It gives the student a bit more learning. Many parents and teachers look for supplemental curriculums based on specific subjects or themes.
A bit about Just a ‘Little’ Curriculum
It is based off of The Little House on the Prairie Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Tv Show. Though it is not faith based, it does have some religious references from the show and books in the curriculum. This curriculum spans for grades pre-K through 5th grade and is divided up by lessons not grade or age level. You simply pick and choose what you would like to use from this curriculum and add it to your child’s regular lessons.
What we discover in the curriculum
Lessons 1 through 5 (designed for pre-K through 5th grade)
Reading and Writing
First, no matter which lesson level you are beginning with, I suggest you begin reading the Little House on the Prairie books with your child. Also begin watching the show, since they are not exactly the same, it will be a great chance to do a compare and contrast with your student. Ask them questions about how the books and show vary. You can easily do this by chapter and episode.
Here are a few printables that you can begin with.
They go over spelling words, fine motor skills, scissor practice, writing practice, cursive, sentence structure, and letter recognition.
While reading the books, be sure to ask your child questions throughout each chapter and at the ending of each chapter. Ask them questions such as;
What can you tell me about this chapter? What do you think of it? What was your favorite part? What did you not like about this chapter? How did the characters act and react to a situation? Where they reactions appropriate or kind? What would you have done if you were in that position? How would you have felt?
While watching the show, compare it to the books. Ask how it varies. The show will also help younger students to get a better visual of the time, and dress. It will help them better understand their speech and mannerisms. Also, because the show and books do vary, there are other lessons taught in the show that may not be present in the books and vice versa.
Another suggestion would be to start a remembrance book like that of the one Laura wished to keep.
Art
Click the link for craft templates.
Some other ideas would be to make the clay letters that Ma’s student (pupil) gives her as a gift.
This is seen in the show in season 1 episode 10.
This would be a fantastic hands-on craft to learn letter recognition in a fun and exciting way.
Begin to learn and discover the basics of sewing. Start slow, Laura and Mary did not have a sewing machine and needed to sew by hand. Choose some fabric, thread and a needle. Learn to thread the needle properly and do a simple stitch across the fabric. Learn to tie off the end and start anew.
Continue with sewing practice through lesson 5
Once the above is mastered, try sewing two pieces of fabric together to make a pillow for a doll or stuffed animal. As the student progresses, the projects can become larger and more advanced, added curves, buttons and more.
Some ideas are:
Pillow
Pot holder
Simple stuffed animal (template included in link)
Coasters
Bag
Apron
Clothes for doll
Clothes for child (perhaps start by hemming an outfit, if it is easier for them)
Practice mending clothes of all sizes
Once mastered fully, you can add in a sewing machine if you wish.
Other arts and crafts ideas are:
Learning how to braid (later you can make a braided rug)
Write with chalk on a chalk board and see how it varies from paper and pencil. Which do you prefer?
Make a feather duster
Make homemade Christmas gifts or decorations, such as an ornament out of dried fruit or a paper star like the one baby Carrie buys from the Mercantile after Pa tells her the story of baby Jesus.
Make a button necklace like the one Laura and Mary make for Carrie
Gather flowers and tie ribbons around them
For older students, you can introduce them to wood burning and whittling. They can begin to learn about woodworking and building.
Mathematics
Science
Below are the links to printables that cover, animal tracts, animals and facts about them, how to milk a cow, how to raise different livestock and what they are used for on a farm, parts of a plant, pumpkin, apple and more.
Some other ideas are:
Take the children to a local farm, go apple or pumpkin picking, go on a nature scavenger hunt, leaf rubbing, pick and dry herbs, or do apple tasting and see which one you prefer.
Begin to learn the basics of cooking and baking. Maybe work up to making a cake from scratch by the end of the year.
For older students, they can learn how to cook over an open fire, learn about herbs and plants used for cooking.
You can even try your hand at making cold process soap or melt and pour soap. (Please remember that lye is used in the making of traditional cold process soap and should never be handled by a child. Also remember to use proper safety and caution and only make it in a well ventilated area.
Melt and pour is simply the based heated up, then you add your dye and scent. Be cautious, the base will be hot when taken off the heat) Both ways are fun. Cold process soap is a wonderful way to show the children history and science at the same time. For recipes and ideas on how to make melt and pour soap, follow the link for my experiences with it. For cold process soap, you can find many recipes online and on Pinterest.
History
Below is the link to the printables that cover,
Clothes of the day, geography, and transportation of the day.
Other topics could be how school varies from then and now, do a dress up day, make butter in a mason jar, wash clothes in a bucket and with a wash board. Go fishing with a stick and line.
The list is endless.
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