On The Banks of Plum Creek Unit {Little House Homeschool Unit}

We have just completed week four of our ten-week Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, and despite a house full of illness, it has been one of the most meaningful weeks of our homeschool journey so far. With three of my five children unwell with a throat infection and high temperatures, I worried we would have little to show for the week. Instead, we found ourselves unexpectedly immersed in prairie life, living out many of the values found in On The Banks of Plum Creek unit in a very real and practical 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!

On the Banks of Plum Creek Unit: When Homeschool Mirrors Real Life

As sickness moved through our home, Thomas, 11, and Lillie, 10, naturally stepped into roles that echoed the responsibilities of children in On The Banks of Plum Creek.

Thomas, deeply interested in herbal medicine, carefully researched natural remedies to ease sore throats and congestion. Meanwhile, Lillie, an instinctive caregiver, ensured everyone was comfortable, even waking during the night to check temperatures.

This is one of the reasons we love a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study in our homeschool: the books don’t just teach history, they gently model family responsibility, compassion, and resilience.

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.

On the Banks of Plum Creek: Our Little House Unit Four Weeks In

At the beginning of the unit, our Little House was sparse. Four weeks in, it has evolved just as a pioneer home would have:

• A thriving kitchen garden
• A carefully stacked woodpile
• Wood-stained floors
• A rocking chair brought in to represent Ma’s willow rocker

Watching the house develop slowly has helped the children understand that pioneer life was built over time, with effort and intention—an important lesson often lost in modern life.

Check out week three! Last week we focused on The Little House on the Prairie. This is the third book in the Little House on the Prairie book set. During the week we did some of prairie cooking (soda biscuits) and also made some curtains, hay sticks and a hammock net. Gary and the little ones did some gardening in our prairie garden and we tried to make some more of our rag rug.

Practical Prairie Skills in Our Homeschool: Learning through On The Banks of Plum Creek Unit

Chopping and Stacking Wood

Inspired by Pa’s responsibilities in On The Banks of Plum Creek, Thomas chose to learn how to chop and stack wood safely. With guidance from his father, he learned to:

• Sharpen his own axe
• Chop kindling correctly
• Stack wood efficiently for winter

This was real, purposeful work—exactly the kind of practical learning that brings a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study to life in a homeschool setting.

Gardening Through Illness

Although still recovering, Abigail, 4, managed to contribute by painting plant labels for the kitchen garden. We intentionally slowed her academic work and allowed her to participate at her own pace.

Homeschool allows us to prioritise health and well-being without sacrificing meaningful learning.

Prairie-Inspired Cooking and Food Preservation

Blueberry Pie

Lillie spent time in the kitchen baking a blueberry pie so delicious it was praised by every generation in the house. Cooking from scratch has become one of our favourite ways to connect daily life with the themes of our Little House on the Prairie Unit Study.

Making Yogurt the Old-Fashioned Way

Charlotte took on the challenge of making yogurt without modern appliances, using only methods that would have been available during Laura’s time.

She:

1. Boiled the milk
2. Let it cool
3. Added natural yogurt
4. Wrapped it to keep warm overnight

By morning, she had produced thick, creamy yogurt—half flavoured with strawberries, half turned into soft curd cheese. This activity beautifully combined history, science, and practical life skills within our homeschool.

Handcrafts and Homemaking

Basket Weaving

The girls began learning basket weaving—a slow, intricate process requiring patience and perseverance. This hands-on work offered a tangible connection to the domestic skills children would have learned during the era of On The Banks of Plum Creek.

Staining Furniture and Patchwork Plans

We also began staining the rocking chair to better reflect period-appropriate colours. Next week, the girls will try their hand at sewing a patchwork cushion, continuing the homemaking focus of our Little House on the Prairie Unit Study.

Herbal Medicine and Natural Care

Thomas’ interest in herbal remedies flourished this week. Drawing from historical knowledge and modern research, he prepared:

• Peppermint steam inhalations
• Saltwater gargles
• Calendula cupcakes for healing

This natural extension of learning reflects how children in pioneer times would have contributed meaningfully to family health—a powerful homeschool lesson inspired by On The Banks of Plum Creek.

What This Week Taught Me About Homeschool

This week did not follow our original plans. But it embodied everything we hoped a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study would offer our homeschool:

• Learning through necessity
• Real responsibility
• Compassion in action
• Practical, lasting skills

Sometimes the richest learning happens when we slow down.

Reflection Questions for Parents and Children

• How did families care for one another in On The Banks of Plum Creek?
• Which pioneer skills are still useful today?
• What responsibilities would each child have had on the prairie?
• How does illness change daily life in a modern home versus a pioneer home?
• What skills did you enjoy learning most this week?

Hands-On Activity Ideas to Extend the Lesson

• Create a prairie remedies notebook
• Cook a meal using only simple ingredients
• Practice basic hand sewing or patchwork
• Make butter or soft cheese by hand
• Keep a journal written from a pioneer child’s perspective
• Build or label a small kitchen garden
• Research plants used for healing in pioneer times