Prairie Tea Party: A Hands-On Little House on the Prairie Unit Study

One of the joys of homeschooling is watching stories come alive beyond the pages of a book. While working through our Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, the children naturally slipped into pioneer play. Once the dresses were on, the next step felt inevitable: we simply had to host a Prairie Tea Party.

This simple afternoon turned into a rich learning experience filled with practical skills, history, and family connection, all wrapped up in lemonade, biscuits, and a little imagination.

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!

Our Simple Prairie Tea Party

Making Prairie Lemonade (Just Like a Pioneer Child Might)

Lillie helped Abigail prepare fresh lemonade from scratch, no packets, no shortcuts, just simple ingredients and patient work.

Prairie Lemonade Recipe

You will need:

• 5 fresh lemons
• Sugar (to taste)
• Cold water

Instructions:

1. Roll the lemons on the counter to soften them and release more juice.
2. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a jug or bowl, removing any seeds.
3. Add sugar gradually, stirring and tasting as you go. Talk about how pioneer families relied on taste rather than exact measurements.
4. Add cold water until the lemonade is just right not too sharp, not too sweet.
5. Place in the fridge to cool while preparing the rest of the tea party.

This simple task offered natural lessons in measuring, adjusting, patience, and teamwork, skills pioneer children practiced daily.

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.

Baking Prairie Biscuits (or Scones)

While the lemonade chilled, Charlotte and Becca worked together to bake biscuits to serve at the tea party. These are similar to what pioneer families might have made: simple, filling, and made with basic pantry staples.

Prairie Biscuits / Scones Recipe

You will need:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter (rubbed in by hand)
• About ¾ cup milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Rub the butter into the flour using fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.
4. Slowly add milk, stirring gently until a soft dough forms.
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat it down (no rolling needed).
6. Cut into rounds or rustic shapes.
7. Bake for 12–15 minutes until lightly golden.

As they worked, we talked about how pioneer families baked without electric ovens, thermometers, or timers, relying instead on experience and observation.

Check out week three! 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.

Setting the Scene for a Prairie Tea Party

Once the food was ready, the children carefully set out their great Granny’s china. Handling these special pieces became a quiet lesson in family history and respect for belongings, something pioneer families understood well.

Our seating arrangements were delightfully informal:

• The younger girls and Lillie sat downstairs
• Thomas sat on the stairs
• Charlotte happily enjoyed her lemonade and biscuits upstairs

It felt cozy and natural, far more authentic than forcing everyone into one place.

Week four we focused on ‘On the Banks of Plum Creek’ and the children learnt about herbal medicine, stained a rocking chair for the corner of the house, made some baskets and began a productive Little House vegetable garden. And lastly, we made some home-made yogurt and a blueberry pie.

Special Guests (Because It’s Homeschool Life)

No homeschool gathering is complete without a few unexpected visitors. Raggy appeared first, clearly convinced she was part of the celebration. Soon after, Georgie, our moggy, joined in as well. Ah well, the more the merrier!

Why a Prairie Tea Party Is Perfect for a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study

A Prairie Tea Party blends literature, history, and life skills into one memorable experience. Children don’t just learn about pioneer life, they experience it through taste, touch, and shared effort.

This activity naturally covers:

• Literature comprehension
• Pioneer history
• Cooking and kitchen skills
• Math and measurement
• Family connection and narration

That’s the heart of a meaningful Little House on the Prairie Unit Study.

During week five, we focused on By the Shores of the Silver Lake. We made signs for over the front door and inside the cottage, wove our own baskets, Thomas began building a stove for the cottage, made some molasses popcorn balls and a very tasty prairie chicken with home grown green beans.

Reflection Questions for Your Homeschool

Use these questions to encourage discussion or journaling:

1. How do you think pioneer children felt when they had a special treat like lemonade?
2. What parts of our tea party were easier than they would have been on the prairie?
3. Which task required the most patience?
4. Why do you think families valued homemade food so highly?
5. What modern tools helped us that pioneers didn’t have?

Hands-On Activity Ideas to Extend the Lesson

• Pioneer Math: Adjust the lemonade or biscuit recipe to serve more or fewer people.
• Creative Writing: Write a diary entry titled Our Prairie Tea Party.
• History Comparison: Research what ingredients were common on the prairie and which were rare treats.
• Art: Sketch the tea party scene or design a “prairie menu.”
• Chores Then & Now: Compare pioneer chores with modern household tasks.

Last week, our focus was on The Long Winter. We made this tea towel and dish cloth (I’m posting about them a bit later), did some prairie cooking and made butter, bread, and jam. Thomas also completed the Little House stove and Lillie made a table cloth.

Final Thoughts on our Prairie Tea Party

A Prairie Tea Party may look simple, but it’s layered with learning, joy, and connection. These are the moments that make a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study unforgettable, where education feels less like a lesson and more like a shared family story.