One of the greatest gifts of homeschooling is the ability to turn everyday life into meaningful education. Lessons don’t have to stay neatly within the pages of a workbook. They can spill into the kitchen, linger over breakfast conversations, and stretch across days, or even weeks, of curiosity, trial, error, and discovery. Making yogurt the pioneer way was one such lesson!
During our current Little House on the Prairie unit study, this truth came alive through something as humble and ordinary as milk. What began as a simple kitchen task became a rich, layered lesson in history, science, patience, emotional resilience, and practical life skills, all through the process of making yogurt the way it might have been done in the 1800s.
Learning Side by Side: Making Yogurt the Pioneer Way
Whilst Lillie, 10, was busy in the kitchen working on her own project, her twin was quietly getting on with the business of making yogurt. This alone is one of the small but beautiful moments homeschooling allows: children absorbed in purposeful work, each following their own interests while sharing the same learning environment.
We’ve been making our own yogurt for years using a crock pot. It’s a method I recommend often. It’s fail safe, consistent, and perfect for busy modern families. It reliably produces thick, delicious yogurt and, if strained, a soft curd cheese. However, for the purposes of our Little House on the Prairie unit study, we wanted to step away from modern tools and attempt yogurt making as it might have been done by pioneer families.
That meant no electricity. No temperature gauges. No modern appliances.
Just milk, knowledge, patience, and a willingness to fail.
Why Make Yogurt as Part of a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study?
Food preparation was central to pioneer life. Laura Ingalls and her family didn’t simply cook meals. They preserved, fermented, churned, dried, and stretched ingredients to last through harsh winters and uncertain harvests.
By including making yogurt in our Little House on the Prairie unit study, we weren’t just recreating a recipe, we were stepping into the rhythm of daily pioneer survival. This kind of living history is particularly powerful in homeschooling, where children learn best by doing rather than memorising.
Through this one activity, we naturally touched on:
- History (how food was preserved in the 1800s)
- Science (bacteria, fermentation, temperature)
- Practical life skills
- Emotional resilience and patience
- Family cooperation and responsibility
Our First Attempt at Making Yogurt the Pioneer Way: A Lesson in Failure
Last week, we made our first attempt at making yogurt the pioneer way by leaving milk out in the sun. Interestingly, this method has worked remarkably well over the years (though never intentionally) when babies’ milk cups were accidentally left out overnight. By morning, they had “miraculously” turned into yogurt (albeit the smelly, definitely inedible kind!).
This time, however, our deliberate experiment failed completely. Nothing happened.
For children, this kind of failure can feel discouraging, but within homeschooling, it also presents a valuable teaching opportunity. We talked about why it might not have worked, what variables could have affected the outcome, and how pioneers often learned through repeated trial and error.
Rather than seeing it as wasted effort, we framed it as part of the learning journey. After all, I’m sure this was something pioneers were deeply familiar with.
Applying Knowledge Using Only 1800s-Era Tools
This week, we decided to apply what we already knew worked—but using only equipment that would have been available in the 1800s.
Charlotte began by boiling the milk to kill any existing bacteria. This step led to a great science discussion: why certain bacteria are harmful, why others are helpful, and how fermentation works. Once boiled, she left the milk to cool until it reached hand temperature, no thermometer required, just experience and intuition, much like pioneer women relied upon.
She then added a spoonful of natural yogurt as a starter, stirred it carefully, and covered the bowl with our large “yogurt towel.” This towel is used exclusively for yogurt making in our home, a small but meaningful nod to the way pioneer households often had specific cloths and tools designated for certain tasks.
We left it to rest in a warm place and checked it before bed.
Absolutely nothing had happened.
In our crock pot method, we normally wrap the pot and leave it overnight, so I suggested we do the same here. We talked about how pioneers didn’t have the luxury of instant results and often had to wait, sometimes days, to see the outcome of their work.
So we waited.
Success the Next Morning: Patience Rewarded
The next morning, Charlotte lifted the cloth and found the most beautiful, thick yogurt waiting for her. Her delight was unmistakable. This moment alone made the entire process worthwhile.
There is something deeply affirming for a child about creating real food with their own hands, especially food that nourishes the whole family. Within homeschooling, these moments build confidence, independence, and a sense of capability that no worksheet can replicate.
Turning Yogurt Into Multiple Foods
Charlotte divided the yogurt. One portion was turned into strawberry yogurt using strawberry preserve, a simple, delicious treat that felt special precisely because it was homemade. Another was eaten with blueberry jam and prairie pancakes.
The other part she placed into our cheese-making cloth (a piece of muslin saved from their babyhood) and hung it to drain over a colander. As the whey slowly separated, we talked about how pioneers wasted nothing, often using whey in baking or animal feed.
By the end of the day, she had produced a lovely soft curd cheese.
She served it with oat biscuits as a snack. It was a simple, nourishing food that felt entirely fitting for our Little House on the Prairie unit study.
A Gentle Life Lesson Alongside the Learning
I had to include flowers in the photo we took that day. My lovely mum brought them round to cheer C10 up after a small upset earlier in the afternoon.
The cup holding the flowers was one Lillie had saved up to buy for her twin. Sadly, it had chipped while washing up, and Charlotte was terribly upset. Mum gently suggested using it as a vase and brought some pretty flowers to place inside.
It became a quiet but powerful lesson: broken things can still be useful and beautiful. Much like our first failed yogurt attempt, the chipped cup didn’t lose its value. It simply found a new purpose.
These are the kinds of lessons that naturally weave themselves into homeschooling, especially when learning happens together at home.
The Educational Value of Making Yogurt in Homeschooling
This activity covered far more than food preparation. It touched on multiple educational areas effortlessly:
History
Children gained insight into daily life in the 1800s, understanding how much time and care went into basic necessities.
Science
We explored fermentation, bacteria, temperature, and food safety in an age-appropriate, hands-on way.
Practical Life Skills
Cooking, patience, cleanliness, and careful observation were all required.
Emotional Growth
Waiting, dealing with disappointment, and celebrating success all played a role.
Literature Connection
The experience deepened our understanding of Little House on the Prairie, making the text feel alive rather than distant.
This is the heart of a successful Little House on the Prairie unit study. Learning that is lived, not just read.
Reflection Questions for Homeschooling Children
Use these questions to encourage narration, discussion, or journaling:
- Why was boiling the milk an important step?
- What might have caused our first attempt to fail?
- How do you think pioneer families learned new skills without books or the internet?
- How did it feel to wait overnight for the yogurt?
- Why do you think patience was essential in pioneer life?
- What modern tools make food preparation easier today?
- How might this experience change the way you think about store-bought yogurt?
Hands-On Extension Activities
To deepen the learning, try these follow-up ideas:
Compare Old and New Methods
Make yogurt again using a crock pot or yogurt maker. Create a comparison chart listing tools, time, effort, and results.
Pioneer Food Journal
Have your child write or draw a “day in the life” journal entry as a pioneer child helping prepare food.
Kitchen Science Exploration
Research different fermented foods pioneers may have eaten, such as sourdough or pickles.
Math Integration
Measure milk quantities, calculate ratios, or estimate how much cheese remains after straining.
Handcraft Project
Sew a simple cloth cover or muslin straining bag, similar to what pioneers might have used.
Making Yogurt the Pioneer Way: Why These Lessons Matter
In a world of instant results and constant convenience, slowing down to make yogurt the old-fashioned way is a quiet act of resistance—and a powerful educational choice. Through making yogurt, children gain not only knowledge but respect for the labour, skill, and resilience of those who came before us.
For homeschooling families, especially those undertaking a Little House on the Prairie unit study, these experiences form the memories children carry into adulthood. They remember not just what they learned, but how it felt to learn it.
Sometimes, the most meaningful homeschool lessons begin with a bowl of milk, a towel, and the courage to wait.
For more activities please do visit my MEGA Little House on the Prairie Unit Study page, which contains all ten weeks of our summer building our own Little House on the Prairie!
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