Little House on The Prairie: The Long Winter Unit Study Week 1

As the autumn air crisps and we head into the colder months, there is nothing quite like gathering the kids around a cozy fire for storytime. But what if your read-aloud time could double as your entire homeschool curriculum? This week, our family dove deep into the breathtaking, frosty world of the Dakota Territory with The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder**. Reading about how the Ingalls family survived the historic blizzards of 1880 sparked so many questions about history, survival, and science that I knew I had to build something bigger. If you are looking to trade dry textbooks for a rich, immersive living book experience, here is how you can transform this classic frontier tale into a rigorous, hands-on 6-week unit study for your middle schooler.


**As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post does contain some affiliate and/or referral links to products and/or services that we use. If you happen to click through a link and make a purchase, we may earn a teensy-weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission. This means that we can keep bringing you great recipes, ideas, and tips for FREE! Click HERE for a full disclaimer.  –Thank you!


Mornings:

We start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a video of how we start our mornings.

Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.

Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.

🔑 The Long Winter: Teacher Answer Key



Continue reading “Little House on The Prairie: The Long Winter Unit Study Week 1” →

Little House on The Prairie: Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study

Whew! I hate that it has taken me so long to get these finished, but I am glad to be knocking them out! These have been on my To-Do List for way too long!

If your family fell in love with the high-stakes survival story of the Dakota blockades, then returning to the prairie as spring blooms is an absolute joy. In our homeschool, moving from the dark winter months into the bright, bustling pages of Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder** marked a beautiful transition—not just for the landscape, but for Laura herself. Seeing a fifteen-year-old Laura step up to take her first job sewing shirts in town sparked incredible family discussions about maturity, work ethic, and community duty. If you’re ready to channel that reading excitement into a complete, rigorous academic plan, here is our comprehensive 6-week unit study designed to turn this beloved classic into a hands-on learning adventure for your middle schooler.


**As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post does contain some affiliate and/or referral links to products and/or services that we use. If you happen to click through a link and make a purchase, we may earn a teensy-weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission. This means that we can keep bringing you great recipes, ideas, and tips for FREE! Click HERE for a full disclaimer.  –Thank you!


Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Week

Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Week 1

Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Week 2

Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Week 3

Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Week 4

Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Week 5

Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Week 6

Little Town on The Prairie Unit Study Teacher Answer Key

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO!

TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

Bringing Fine Art to Life in Your Homeschool

A Gentle, Beautiful Way to Study Great Artists and Their Masterpieces

One of the sweetest blessings of homeschooling is having the freedom to slow down and truly enjoy the beautiful things around us. One of my very favorite ways to do that in our home is through fine art study!

In our homeschool, we usually choose one artist and one masterpiece to enjoy and study each month. We take time to sit with the artwork, learn about the artist’s life, explore the historical period, and talk about all the little details that make each painting special and unique.

It is such a joy to watch children discover things in a painting that you hadn’t even noticed yourself! We love to post the picture in a place where everyone will see it on a daily basis. Our favorite photo frames for these pictures, poems, and other activities are listed below.

And the best part? You don’t have to be an artist or know everything about art history to enjoy it with your kids.

[SHOP THE 37-PAGE FINE ART & ARTIST STUDY NOTEBOOK]

Continue reading “Bringing Fine Art to Life in Your Homeschool” →

Bringing History to Life with a Vintage Historical Biography Notebook

An easy, meaningful way to study historical figures in your homeschool!

History has always been about so much more than memorizing dates, names, and important events. Behind every major historical event were real people with families, dreams, struggles, accomplishments, and sometimes some pretty big mistakes!

One of the things I love about homeschooling is having the freedom to slow down and really get to know the people who helped shape history.

In our homeschool, we typically study one historical figure each month. Rather than simply reading a biography and moving on, the children spend time researching that person’s life, recording interesting facts, exploring the historical period, and learning about their accomplishments and challenges.

At the end of the month, they use the notes they’ve collected to write a biography report.

It’s a simple approach, but it helps them practice so many valuable skills along the way!

That’s part of what inspired me to create our new 35-Page Vintage Historical Biography Notebook, now available through Pollywog’s Place!

SHOP THE VINTAGE HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY NOTEBOOK

Continue reading “Bringing History to Life with a Vintage Historical Biography Notebook” →

How to Trace God’s Promises This Advent: Introducing Our New Jesse Tree Family Devotional!

The Christmas season is often filled with bright lights, busy schedules, and long holiday to-do lists. In the middle of all the beautiful busyness, it can be easy for our hearts—and our children’s attention—to drift away from the true wonder of the season.

If you are looking for a simple, meaningful way to gather your family around the Word of God this year, I am so excited to share our brand-new digital resource with you: The Jesse Tree Advent Family Devotional & Printable Ornament Packet!

Free Sample Jesse Tree MINI Study Outline and Printable Ornament Templates at the end of this post!

Continue reading “How to Trace God’s Promises This Advent: Introducing Our New Jesse Tree Family Devotional!” →