This post contains affiliate links. Back when I was home schooling, as part of our Farmer Boy unit, we made candles. In the book Almanzo talks about taking his lantern out to do chores and walk to his room at night. We discussed how they didn’t have electricity for lighting and instead used candles. We talked about how their method to make candles was different
Covered Wagon Craft
Is it silly that I’ve always wanted to do a covered wagon project? Well, silly or not, I finally had a good excuse to have the boys make their own covered wagons. We were studying the days of the pioneers. We just had to make a covered wagon to go along with that era… And to tell the truth, I was hoping to make an
Wilder Pageant – Walnut Grove, Minnesota
This is my final post about the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites we visited on our road trip in 2006. On our last night in Laura Country we watched a Wilder Pageant called Fragments of a Dream. This pageant is based on the Ingalls time near Walnut Grove. The story line wasn’t as interesting as the pageant we had seen the night before in De Smet,
Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum – Walnut Grove, Minnesota
While in Walnut Grove, I walked through the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. If I’m going to be honest, this was probably my least favorite LIW place to visit. It had very little Ingalls memorabilia. It had stuff from the tv show, but mostly it had displays on pioneers in general. I very much enjoy the pioneer time period, but I was there for the LIW
Laura Ingalls Wilder at Plum Creek – Walnut Grove, Minnesota
Like many young girls, I fell in love with the Ingalls family. I don’t remember how old I was when I first started watching Little House on the Prairie, but I was young. I’m well aware now that the TV show was based on real people but many of the stories were fictitious. That was my first introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder and the pioneer
Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant – DeSmet, South Dakota
In 2006, we went on a 3 week road trip from Oregon to Minnesota. The entire trip was planned around watching two pageants based on the Little House series. I timed our driving days so we could be in De Smet, South Dakota to watch their pageant on a Friday and be in Walnut Grove to watch theirs on Saturday. At the time Farm Kid1
Ingalls Homestead – DeSmet, South Dakota
Laura lived in De Smet for many of her growing up years. Pa first came to De Smet working for the railroad. Later Ma & the girls followed, taking the train for the first time. It is here on the Ingalls Homestead where they moved to from Walnut Grove. We visited the Ingalls Homestead many years ago, but I still remember being so excited to
Laura Ingalls Wilder in DeSmet, South Dakota
Laura Ingalls Wilder moved to De Smet, South Dakota in 1879. Many of her books are based on her time in De Smet: By the Shores of Silver Lake, Little Town on the Prairie, Long Winter, These Happy Golden Years & The First Four Years. These stories are why I love the books so much. Laura, Almanzo & their daughter, Rose, eventually moved to Mansfield,
Carrie Ingalls in Keystone, South Dakota
It seems fitting that since today was the day Carrie Ingalls was born that I should post about her today. On a road trip in 2006, we visited the Keystone Historical Society museum. As an adult, Carrie moved to Keystone while working for a newspaper. She met & married a widower, David Swanzey, and raised his two children. To read more about Carrie check out
Farmer Boy Lapbook
At the beginning of the school year, Farm Kid1 read Farmer Boy & did a few activities relating to the book, including making this lapbook.