Little House on the Prairie for Homeschoolers {Reflections}

We’ve just finished the third week of our ten-week summer homeschool unit, based on the Little House on the Prairie, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to replicate the success of this experience. Everyone is enjoying it so much, and we all feel like we’re genuinely learning new skills together. One of the most gratifying parts of homeschooling this way is seeing the physical results of our work. And it’s just as exciting is sitting down as a family each week to discuss our goals for the next.

This week felt a little slower than usual, largely due to an intense heatwave here in the UK. With no air conditioning and no real way to cool the house, we definitely flaked a bit. Poor Gary has been working outdoors in the blazing sun and has come home each afternoon only to completely flop onto the bed! Still, when I look back, I can see that we achieved nearly everything we set out to do…except painting the floor. Unsurprisingly, no one volunteered for that job in this heat.

And then there was the yogurt. Our attempt at making yogurt the old-fashioned way failed miserably. Ironically, a forgotten beaker of milk left under a chair had no trouble turning itself into yogurt, but when we tried intentionally, nothing happened. Isn’t that always the way?

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!

Little House on the Prairie: Book Summary for Your Homeschool Unit

As part of our Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, we are reading the third book in the series, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This novel follows Laura, Mary, Ma, Pa, and baby Carrie as they leave the Big Woods of Wisconsin and travel west by covered wagon to Indian Territory (present-day Kansas).

The family builds a small log house on the open prairie, where they must rely almost entirely on their own labor and resourcefulness. Pa hunts for food, Ma cooks and preserves, and the girls learn essential skills such as sewing, helping with chores, and caring for one another. Life is full of challenges, illness, prairie fires, dangerous wildlife, and tensions with nearby Native Americans, but also moments of joy, music, family closeness, and pride in hard work.

Central themes in the book include self-sufficiency, perseverance, family cooperation, respect for nature, and adapting to new environments. These themes translate beautifully into a homeschool unit, offering countless opportunities for hands-on learning, discussion, and real-life skill building.

Check out week two! Last week we focused on Farmer Boy. This is the second book in the Little House on the Prairie book set. During the week we did lots of prairie cooking (hasty pudding, making a sour dough starter and some prairie bread) and also made some button lamps, a prairie ladder, and some peg hooks. Gary and the little ones did some gardening in our prairie garden and we tried to make some more of our rag rug.

Transforming Our Little House on the Prairie

One of the most visible parts of this Little House on the Prairie Unit Study has been the transformation of our Little House itself. Comparing how it looked at the beginning of the unit (above) to how it looks now (below) is incredibly satisfying.

The inside, too, has evolved simple changes, handmade furnishings, and practical improvements have turned it into a living learning space rather than just a play structure.

This mirrors the Ingalls family’s experience in the book as they slowly turn raw prairie land into a functional home. Children can see that meaningful work takes time and effort, a powerful lesson that homeschooling allows us to explore deeply.

Gardening the Pioneer Way

This week we planted our vegetable patch, and despite the unbearable heat, everyone has been diligent about watering. The beans are struggling a bit, but the carrots, cabbage, and radishes seem to be growing well. Gary built a planter that Abigail painted beautifully, it’s the perfect size for a kitchen garden and fits seamlessly into our homeschool unit focused on pioneer self-reliance.

This activity naturally led to discussions about how Laura’s family depended on gardening, hunting, and preservation to survive, especially when trips to town were rare and supplies limited.

Handcrafts and Practical Skills

Our neighbours generously gifted us some plain pottery containers, which immediately sparked excitement. One of the twins commented on how perfect they’d be for the Little House, and I couldn’t agree more. We’re hoping to add a shelf soon so they can be stored properly, another future project already taking shape.

T11 spent time net making, something he thoroughly enjoyed. Having learned the knots the week before, he found the actual net construction surprisingly easy. He later turned the net into a hammock for Baby Carrie’s rag doll, hanging it inside the Little House. He also made a curtain pole for the upstairs window by painting a pine dowel with wood preservative and installing simple cup hooks.

Meanwhile, the girls each hand-sewed a curtain. Watching them hang their finished work echoed scenes from Little House on the Prairie, where clothing and household items were made slowly and carefully by hand.

Abigail worked with her daddy twisting raffia to make hay sticks. Again and again… until she had made a whole bundle. These repetitive tasks are wonderful for focus, patience, and fine motor skills, just as they would have been for pioneer children.

Baking and Learning from Failure

Because of the heat, we didn’t bake much this week, but Lillie managed to make soda biscuits. A simple, filling food that fits perfectly into a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study. Our yogurt experiment didn’t work, but that failure turned into a valuable lesson in science, observation, and persistence.

Homeschooling gives us the freedom to learn from what doesn’t go right, just as the Ingalls family did.

Reflection Questions for Your Homeschool

Use these questions to connect the book with hands-on experiences:

1. Why was it important for every family member to contribute in Little House on the Prairie?
2. How did the Ingalls family adapt when things didn’t go as planned?
3. Which modern conveniences would you miss most if you lived on the prairie?
4. How did building our Little House help you understand the book better?
5. What skills are you proud of learning during this homeschool unit?

Hands-On Activity Ideas to Extend the Lesson

• Literature & Writing: Write a diary entry as Laura describing a hot prairie summer
• History: Map the Ingalls family’s journey west and compare it to modern travel
• Math: Measure materials used in building or sewing projects
• Science: Experiment with different methods of food preservation
• Art & Practical Life: Create simple household items using only basic tools

Looking Ahead…What’s Happening After Little House on the Prairie

Next week will be full of wood chopping, stacking, embroidery, and basket weaving and we can’t wait. This Little House on the Prairie Unit Study continues to show us why homeschooling works so well: shared purpose, meaningful work, and learning that reaches far beyond the page.