Farmer Boy {Little House on the Prairie Unit Study}

Welcome to this hands-on homeschool week inspired by Farmer Boy in our Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, where we are learning through cooking, crafts, and farm life.

Catch Up! If you haven’t read all about our first week on the prairie, I would encourage you to go and read my Little House in the Big woods post. This covers everything we did from making nightdresses, to prairie cooking and making button strings. It also gives you a good idea of everything we achieved with our own little house on the prairie renovations!

Farmer Boy Summary and Why It’s Perfect for Homeschool

Farmer Boy, the second book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House series, offers homeschool families a rich and detailed window into nineteenth-century America rural life. While many readers are familiar with Laura’s prairie adventures, Farmer Boy shifts the focus to Almanzo Wilder’s childhood on a prosperous farm in upstate New York. Through Almanzo’s experiences, readers gain insight into seasonal farm rhythms, family cooperation, and the kind of steady perseverance that shaped young lives in the 1800s.

For homeschool families, Farmer Boy is an ideal anchor for experiential learning. The book is packed with opportunities to explore history, life skills, agriculture, food preservation, craftsmanship, and character education. Almanzo’s days are filled with meaningful work such as caring for animals, planting crops, harvesting food, and learning responsibility step by step. These tasks aren’t framed as punishment or drudgery but as a natural part of belonging to a family and contributing to its success.

At its heart, Farmer Boy highlights values that resonate deeply in homeschool life: diligence, patience, independence, and the joy of learning through doing. Almanzo’s parents trust him with increasingly adult responsibilities, reinforcing lessons about honesty, effort, and earning one’s keep. This makes the book a perfect fit for a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, especially one that emphasises hands-on learning rather than worksheets alone.

Week Two of Our Little House on the Prairie Unit Study: Farmer Boy

This week marked week two of our ten-week Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, and it has been full to the brim with activity. It has been one of those weeks where the house feels constantly alive with motion, creativity, and purposeful noise. Looking back, it’s almost hard to believe how much we accomplished.

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned so far—both children and adults—is that tasks that seem intimidating at first often turn out to be quite manageable once you apply yourself and ask for help when needed. That lesson alone feels like a gift of homeschooling.

Transforming Our “Little House”

Our Little House project continues to evolve beautifully. At the start of this unit, the outside of the house looked unfinished and a little tired.

By the end of week two, the transformation was remarkable.

Thomas, 11, and Gary replaced the bottom window and added back the window boxes, which Abigail, 4, had painted entirely by herself. Watching her take such pride in her work was a reminder of how capable young children can be when trusted with real tasks.

Inside, the changes were just as exciting. The children wood-painted the stairs and landing. Unfortunately, they were unable to finish the floor because the heat made it impractical to work in such a small space with paint fumes. That job is waiting patiently for cooler weather. Upstairs, the mattress is now in place, turning the space into a true sleeping loft.

Thomas has screwed his peg hooks into the wall. The two handmade nightgowns are currently hanging on the hooks and making the room feel wonderfully authentic.

Each small improvement made the Little House feel more like a living space rather than a project—and that sense of realism is a huge part of what makes this Little House on the Prairie Unit Study so engaging.

Cooking Like Almanzo: From Corn Grinding to Hasty Pudding

This week, the kitchen became the heart of our homeschool. Inspired by Farmer Boy, the girls prepared several traditional foods from scratch, gaining practical skills while learning about historical food preparation.

I taught them how to use the corn grinder, and they eagerly ground a generous amount of corn for their chosen recipes. There’s something deeply satisfying about turning whole grains into usable food, and the girls were fascinated by the process.

The ground corn was used to make cornbread and hasty pudding—both staples in nineteenth-century farm kitchens. Charlotte prepared some more cornbread whilst Lillie made hasty pudding and served it with maple syrup, just as Almanzo might have enjoyed.

We also made sourdough starter, discussing how the Ingalls family would have relied on natural fermentation instead of store-bought yeast. Once the starter was ready, we baked a loaf of sourdough bread, which was later served with maple syrup. The entire process tied perfectly into our reading and gave the children a tangible connection to the past.

Button Lamps and Simple Ingenuity

The younger two children worked on making button lamps, inspired by Ma Ingalls’ resourcefulness. These lamps were traditionally made from grease, buttons, and cloth when oil was scarce. While ours were purely decorative, the lesson behind them was powerful.

Using pre-cut cloth squares, raffia, and buttons, the children learned how simple materials could be repurposed creatively. A4 surprised me by tying knots independently—one of those quiet parenting moments where you suddenly realize your child has grown. B2 needed some help with tying but completed her lamp with enthusiasm.

They created a whole basket full of button lamps, which will be displayed in the Little House as charming ornamental pieces. Activities like this bring Farmer Boy to life in a way no textbook ever could.

Gardening, Teamwork, and Real Responsibility (Just Like Farmer Boy)

Outside, the younger two helped Daddy plant flowers in their window boxes. Abigail carefully chose her flowers, while Becca eagerly assisted with planting. Gardening has become a recurring theme in our homeschool, reinforcing patience, care, and responsibility.

Learning Perseverance Through Ladder Making

Becca also took it upon herself to help her brother with his ladder-making project—a beautiful example of sibling cooperation that felt very much in the spirit of Farmer Boy.

Thomas had chosen ladder making as his main project this week. While he’s not typically a procrastinator, he kept putting it off, which raised some red flags for me. I suspected he was unsure how to begin but didn’t want to ask for help.

After a quiet conversation with Gary, the situation changed completely. Gary walked Thomas through the instructions in his survival book, ensuring he understood each step. Then he stepped back, allowing Thomas the freedom to create independently.

The result was a strong, functional ladder—one that held not only Thomas’ weight but also his father’s. The pride on his face was unmistakable. That day, he learned an invaluable lesson about perseverance, confidence, and the power of asking for guidance.

Knitting, Sewing, and Handcrafts

Charlotte, 10, continued her knitting project, working diligently on a bright orange dishcloth. Having taught herself to knit a couple of years ago through a DVD, she’s developed a skill that brings her both joy and confidence. Watching her knit reminds me how homeschool allows children to pursue interests deeply and at their own pace.

Lillie, 10, helped me sew a second nightgown for the younger children using a pillowcase. The first attempt taught us plenty, and the second turned out much better. These prairie nightdresses are meant for dress-up in the Little House, and the girls were thrilled to model them.

Seeing the children lying on their handmade mattress, peeking through the banisters, and truly inhabiting the space they’ve helped create was one of the most rewarding moments of the week.

Peg Hooks, Rag Rugs, and Evening Rituals

Thomas also made a peg hook for the upstairs room, designed specifically to hold the nightgowns. He completed this task easily and without hesitation, a sign of growing confidence.

Meanwhile, we’ve all been contributing to our rag rug. We have torn denim fabric into strips, and each night the girls plait one strip before bed. The growing pile of plaits waiting to be sewn together is a tangible reminder that small, consistent efforts add up over time.

Looking Ahead to Week Three

We are having an incredible amount of fun, and the excitement is far from over. Next week promises even more hands-on learning:

• The girls will be hand-stitching curtains for the upstairs of the Little House
• Thomas will apply his knot-making skills to create a net, which will become a hammock
• We’ll begin making a rag doll for “Carrie”
• There will be more historical recipes and gardening in our Little House vegetable patch

This Little House on the Prairie Unit Study continues to prove how powerful immersive learning can be in a homeschool setting. Inspired by Farmer Boy, we are building skills, memories, and confidence—one project at a time.

  For more activities please do visit my MEGA Little House on the Prairie Unit Study page. This contains all ten weeks of our summer building our own Little House on the Prairie!